The Definition of Piety
by TillThatTime
Summary: “You’re beautiful.” The redhead cocked his head to the side, a smile tugging at his lips. “As beautiful as Naruto?” Neji could feel his own smirk beginning to form. “Never.” Their grins only grew. GaaraNejiGaara, SasukeNaruto
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

**A/N:** Erhm...alright, here we go.

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**The Definition of Piety**

It was cold

the chilly air licked lazily at his exposed fingers and cheeks and he shivered slightly as he attempted to nestle himself further into the grass that was pressed beneath him. He had trained hard that day, pushing his body to the limits that he knew better than anyone else, working well past the vibrant colors of dusk and into the night. There was a sense of satisfaction to be had for it. The same familiar feeling that he got whenever his body was screaming in protest and his mind was buzzing in approval. No matter how much he improved, he always wanted more. So, he continued to train, like any decent shinobi, and continued to push and push until exhaustion won out and he was forced to rest his body until the next day.

Much was the case at that exact moment. He had worked for hours until finally collapsing on the hard ground to give his body the much needed rest it deserved. Still, even after his breathing had slowed and his heart rate decreased, he continued to lay there, his face serene, devoid of the lines that were brought by the Byakugan. Chances to truly relax came few and far between for shinobi, especially those at his level, so perhaps he viewed this as a treat to himself. A small reward that meant so much more to those who did not get to relish in its pleasure often.

So, Hyuuga Neji watched the stars.

Much like the lazy genius who spent his time, free or not, idly observing the clouds he took so much joy in, Neji occasionally spent the little spare time that he had gazing at the stars. The stars looked the same to him as any other person in the world. No matter how advanced his kekkei genkai got, the Byakugan would never be able to see that far. So, the stars remained unchanging. It seemed all the things in his life were evolving. Even the beliefs that he used to live his life by had changed, but the stars...they always stayed the same. It was a comforting thought really, to know that they were unwavering objects that had been there long before him and would continue to exist long after he was forgotten. In a world where it was easy to let your ego grow larger than it should, it was good to be humbled sometimes.

Still, there was that one star that shined bright than the others, making everything else look dull in comparison. As Neji watched the stars, his eyes inevitably drawn to that particular one, he couldn't help but be reminded of another star that drew people to his brightness. This person wasn't just any star, however, he was like the sun itself.

Uzumaki Naruto...

Neji felt a tightness in his chest as his mind drifted to the blonde haired boy and he quickly worked to quell it. He knew what this was. There was no point in futilely going through denial and refusing to accept what he already knew. Neji was not considered a genius for nothing and he'd be damned if he hadn't realized what it was the second it made itself apparent. However, even though he was well aware that he was in love with the overly loud boy, that didn't mean he had any inclination to act on his feelings. He owed a lot of who he was today to Naruto. If it hadn't been for the other shinobi quite literally beating some sense into him, he would be quite a different person and he couldn't help but almost cringe at the possibilities.

Naruto seemed to have this power that no one else around him had. While others seemed to lose themselves in self pity and despair over their less than perfect lives, Naruto, chose to fight through his pain by helping others with theirs. It seemed that everywhere the boy went he changed the lives of the people he came in contact with. Neji wasn't the first to be saved by Naruto and he definitely wasn't the last. He was just one of many and as much aware as he was of his love, he was also aware of this. Naruto, the demon-boy who was anything but a monster, was a walking paradox, and like many others, Neji, the prodigy of the great Hyuuga clan, felt inferior in comparison. It wasn't hard to fall in love with him, and Neji was sure he wasn't the only one. The boy who had grown up so alone, had captivated the mind and hearts of so many around him.

And still...

Though so many were willing to give their love to the blue eyed Jinchuuriki, there was only one that Naruto was willing to give _his_ love to. While he loved many, he was only _in love_ with one.

And it wasn't Neji.

Neji knew this more than anything else.

It wasn't hard to figure out who. There was no need to know that Naruto had risked his life many times for this person. It was unimportant to know that Naruto had searched desperately for him, had trained three years to become strong enough to find him, and had went through the basic definition of hell just to bring him back. It didn't take these things to realize that Uzumaki Naruto was completely in love with Uchiha Sasuke. All one had to see was the way he looked at the other boy and it wasn't hard to figure out. It was the same way Neji looked at Naruto. There were many people that Neji would kill for, but Naruto, he wouldn't think twice about dying for, and one could see that same devotion clearly written in those clear blue eyes.

No matter how much the Uchiha pushed him away, tried to tell him that he was less that what he really was, and hurt the boy who had given so much to him, Naruto's love remained unwavering. Perhaps that was the only thing that really pissed Neji off. He wasn't angry that Naruto was in love with someone else, only the fact that he gave something so precious to someone who didn't even deserve it. Even if Neji was almost positive that Uchiha Sasuke returned his teammates feelings, the fact that he chose to keep it to himself, and instead push the other boy away, was unforgivable in Neji's eyes.

He stiffened.

He was pulled quickly from his thoughts as he felt a pulse of charka close to him. He could sense no malicious intent and there was a sort of familiarity to the charka that he couldn't quite place, but still he allowed his kekkei genkai to seep into his eyes. He scanned the area around him, and almost immediately his eyes fell onto a figure perched in a nearby tree. Due to his advanced eyesight, even in the dark he could make out the flash of red hair. He knew the other was in Konoha on matters of politics and alliances, but that didn't answer why he was _here_, and despite his better judgement, he found his curiosity getting to him.

"Kazekage-sama?" His voice was soft, but he was positive the other heard. And in an instant he found himself face to face with Subaku no Gaara. Had he not been a better ninja, and if this wasn't the leader of Suna, Neji might have been surprised at the Kazekage's swiftness.

"Was I bothering you?" Came the emotionless question from the flame haired boy.

"No, of course not, I was just surprised to see you here." Neji's answer was direct, to the point.

"It's the best view of the stars. Even with Shukaku extracted, I still find it difficult to sleep, so looking at the stars is relaxing." Gaara stated in a low tenor, leaving Neji to wonder why the Kazekage was telling him this of all people. Neji watched as the powerful shinobi quite suddenly seated himself on the ground, paying no mind to the dirt that would surely get on his clothes. He looked up at Neji, paying no particular invitation but not dismissing either, and Neji found himself settling next to the other boy.

They both sat in silence for a long while, neither boy being prone to conversation. Neji found himself watching the other man out of the corner of his eye. At seventeen, the Kazekage had grown to be quite...well, handsome didn't seem to be the appropriate word considering how beautiful the other was. His features were refined and smooth, not rugged like the definition of a man would be, but almost feminine. His lips were full and his skin was as pale as Neji's own and flawless from years of protection and that hair, that was truly what caught people's attention. While the rest of the Kazekage's appearance seemed reserved and dignified, his hair fell in vibrant disarray among his pointed features. It was lively, everything the pretty Kazekage appeared not to be. Of course, Neji felt that he didn't have any right to call Gaara feminine considering his own appearance. More than once he had been told how beautiful he was. He didn't know much about the Kazekage except for what he had witnessed first hand at the Chunnin Exams when he was thirteen and later when he had fought to rescue the other boy from Akatsuki, but he knew that he was strong, dedicated to his village, reserved, and important to Naruto.

Of course, despite not knowing much about the other boy, Neji had caught the occasional glance that the Kazekage had thrown Naruto's way and he knew that he harbored the same feelings that Neji himself did. He was quickly once again pulled from his reverie as the other boy stared at him as well. He cleared his throat looking away, loathing to admit that he was slightly embarrassed that he had been caught staring.

"So, have you been by to see Naruto since you've been here?" He chose that time to end the silence, despite regretting his choice of words.

"Yes, I saw him this morning...he cornered me into buying him ramen." Neji didn't fail to notice the way those full lips quirked slightly upwards at the thought of the blonde shinobi.

Neji was relieved that the his question didn't draw any curiosity from the red head, but his relief was short lived when the other spoke softly,

"Why do you ask Hyuuga?"

Neji looked for an excuse but found none at reach, despite being a proclaimed genius that he was. So, he attempted to draw the attention away from himself.

"Are you in love with Naruto?"

Shit.

That was not what he had meant to say. He cringed at the bluntness and stupidity of his words. Trying to regain some dignity, he forced himself to look at Gaara's face, and he was met with cool teal eyes, staring back at his own.

"Aren't you?" It wasn't a question, not really, because there was something in Gaara's voice that told Neji that he already knew. They had both been saved by Naruto. Saved from the darkness that had very nearly consumed them both. They were the same in that aspect. Completely enamored with someone who would never be able to return their affections. It was comforting to know they were not alone.

As they settled back into gazing up at the stars, Neji never needing to answer the question, he heard Gaara's low voice cut quietly through the night air.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Neji felt his lips twitch.

"Yeah, I hate him too."


	2. Eavesdropping

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! They were wonderful.

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**Eavesdropping**

Hyuuga Neji was very apt a picking up on other people's conversations. It would have been better to refer to it as something more polite than eavesdropping, but Neji saw no point in making things out to be other than what they were. So, yes, Neji occasionally found himself eavesdropping. It wasn't hard to see the benefits of such an act, considering the type of information one could obtain by overhearing something that was originally supposed to be private. Neji was always eager to gain more knowledge, so he felt his action were completely justified.

So, of course, he felt no amount of guilt when he found himself listening in on a particular interaction between Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.

"What in the hell is your problem, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto's voice held that same edge of fury that Neji had heard so many times before, and as Neji activated his Bloodline Limit in order to peer through the brick wall that separated himself from the other two shinobi, and into the abandon alley outside of the Hokage building, which Naruto had drug Sasuke rather forcefully into, he noticed that the blonde had the other boy pressed against the wall, his tan hand fisted in the taller boy's collar.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." Sasuke's voice, on the other hand, was the complete opposite from his teammate's, it bore the same tone of disinterest that it always did and his face showed cold detachment as his black eyes connected with the blues ones that were currently demanding his attention. "Now, if you don't mine, let go of me, dobe."

The Jinchuuriki's fist only closed tighter around the fabric he held in between his fingers. "Don't give me that shit, bastard! You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Neji wasn't sure what exactly had started this little tryst, but by this point Naruto was all but yelling at the Uchiha.

"You might want to quiet down, idiot, I'm sure you wouldn't want someone to hear you and listen in." There was something in the way Sasuke said this that made Neji wonder if possibly the youngest Uchiha knew that he was there…or perhaps it was the fact that he chose to look directly in Neji's direction right at that very moment. Neji stood his ground anyway. He wasn't even sure if the other really knew and even if he did, there was no way he was going to be intimidated by the likes of Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto made a low growling sound in the back of his throat and murmured his typical insult of "teme" but quieted down nevertheless. "I'm talking about the fact that ever since I brought you back, you've had a kunai permanently implanted in that tight-laced ass of yours and I'm sick of it! I'm sick of the way you treat Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei. I'm sick of you never talking to anybody unless you're proving what an asshole you are, and I'm sick of…" Naruto trailed off, his eyes suddenly breaking contact as they cast themselves downwards.

"What? What are you sick of, Naruto?" Sasuke's voice was soft, but Neji noticed the slight edge that hadn't been there before.

Naruto seemed to struggle with his next words, his cheeks taking on a slightly pink tint. For someone who always felt the need to babble and express every thought that he had, he was sure having trouble doing it now. "I…more than anything am sick of the way you treat me. It's like you can't even stand to be around me or something, Sasuke-teme. I mean, you were like that before, but this time it somehow feels worse. It's like now you really do hate me." Naruto finished, his voice wavering slightly at the end.

Sasuke's cold demeanor seemed at falter at Naruto's words, and there was almost a look of pain there as Naruto refused to meet the older boy's eyes. "Naruto, I…I don't…" Sasuke didn't finish what he was saying as he noticed the way that Naruto was suddenly leaning in closer to him. Neji watched as Sasuke's eyes widen in shock as it registered that the blonde haired boy's lips were mere inches from his own and they were steadily moving closer. Neji held his breath as he saw that Sasuke was not moving away. They were so close, so close…and then it all came crashing down as Sasuke turned his head to the side at the last moment.

"What did you expect? I never asked you to bring me home. In fact, I told you not to. So, what? Is everything supposed to just go back to the way it was? Well, it doesn't work like that." Sasuke finished the last line with slight malice, his cold demeanor already back in place. "Now get off me, dobe." Sasuke easily pried the other boy's hand from his collar and both he and Neji watched as Naruto stood there in shock, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something, before he closed it and his features fell into emotional vacancy. Without a single word he took off, leaving the Uchiha to lean heavily against the wall, his face cast downwards and his long bangs obstructing any view that Neji might have had of his eyes.

"I didn't think you would be one to spy in on private conversations, Hyuuga." Sasuke said quietly, not even looking up.

Neji was not surprised.

He emerged into the alley, his own features set in stone, despite the fact that his fists were shaking at his sides. "Well, you know very little about me, Uchiha."

"Hn." Was the only reply he got, before the Uchiha turned on heel, attempting to exit the alley, but he was stopped by Neji standing directly in front of him.

"What do you want, Hyuuga?" Sasuke had begun to show his irritation at this point.

"How can he choose you?" Normally Neji would have not even attempted to talk to the stubborn man, but now he felt it was necessary to confront the Uchiha. The look on Naruto's face had compelled him too.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't give me that." Neji snapped. "It's not hard to figure out."

Sasuke stood in silence for a moment, before peering directly into Neji's lilac eyes. "I don't see why it's any of your business."

"You're probably right, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to back off." Neji stated lowly, never breaking the staring match that had been initiated. "I'll make this quick, so listen closely, Uchiha. I don't know why he's chosen you but he has, no matter how much you don't deserve someone like him. So, jump for joy, realize what you've gotten without having to work for it, and count yourself a lucky bastard. Do whatever it takes for someone as thick headed as you to realize it, but in the mean time stop hurting him. He's done more than anybody for the people of this village and he doesn't need this type of shit, especially from you." Neji finished, inwardly congratulating himself for keeping his voice under control. Sasuke, on the other hand, seemed to be reaching his breaking point. His own fists began to clench at his sides, his knuckles turning white from the pressure, and his body was shaking slightly with repressed anger.

"Get out of my way, Hyuuga, or I swear I'll make you regret it." Sasuke stated dangerously, his Sharingan beginning seep red into his eyes.

Neji merely smirked as he felt the other boy's chakra fluctuate. "I know you've got it in your head, Uchiha, that you are unbeatable and that you have everyone in this village cowering in fear of your power, but trust me when I say that I would be more than happy to help you test your theory."

"I could kill you right now, Hyuuga." Sasuke sneered.

"If you say so." And with that, he stepped out of the way, opening up the path to let the Uchiha pass, and right before Sasuke jumped out of sight Neji stated quietly, "He loves you. Many would kill in this village to have what you do. Don't waste it, Uchiha."

He turned from the other boy, not even glancing back as he stepped into the brighter light of the street. He wondered if that had really been a good idea. He began to ponder on perhaps going to the training grounds to clear his head when he heard a smooth voice from behind him.

"I would have done the same thing."

Neji whipped around quickly to see Subaku no Gaara leaning against the wall, probably just having emerged from a meeting with the Godaime Hokage. Neji chastised himself for not noticing the other's presence before.

However, he wasn't the Kazekage for nothing.

"I doubt I really got through to him." Neji admitted softly, walking back to stand next to Gaara.

"I wouldn't say that."

For awhile they just stood in silence, both their minds racing from the previous incident. Neji still felt bothered by it all, and Gaara had no problem picking up on that.

"Would you like to talk about it?" The younger man asked, the words sounding strange coming from the usually antisocial boy. Neji had to fight the urge to look at the Kazekage as if he had sprouted tulips out his ass.

Neji thought for a moment before mentally shrugging. It might be nice to talk to someone. Especially if that someone would be able to understand fully how he felt.

"Alright, I'll treat you to dinner, Kazekage-sama."


	3. Dinner Conversations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**A/N:** Thank you to:

XCynicalX

Corvin

akilana

Your reviews made me smile! Ok, after this chapter the chapters will start to get longer, I promise. I hope you enjoy.

**Dinner Conversations**

It was surprising how easily conversation came for the two usually stoic boys, although it was not like most normal conversations shared between two people. There were no unnecessary quips or indirect comments. The questions were short and to the point and the answers that followed were usually even more so. Both were used to blunt lines such as "there's no way that you can defeat me." or "I'll kill you."–at least that was what their vocabulary had consisted of in the past-- but still, it was a start.

They sat in a small restaurant that few were familiar with near the outskirts of Konoha. Though there were not many people in the unknown restaurant, Neji and Gaara attempted to ignore the stares of the people who were there. After all, it was not every day that one could see the pride of the Hyuuga clan treating the Kazekage of Suna to dinner.

They sat at a dainty table, their food barely touched and their heads titled towards each other as they conversed quietly. While most dinner conversations jumped restlessly from topic to topic, these particular boys only had one subject that they felt needed to be shared.

Naruto.

"So, when did you fall in love with him?" Was Neji's blunt question, and he fought down the heat that threatened to color his cheeks as he tried to gauge Gaara's reaction. He wondered briefly if this was more about the subject at hand or trying to make the impassive boy blush. To his slight disappointment, Gaara's face remained as emotionless as ever and he quickly berated himself for feeling disappointment at all, but, hell, the Kazekage was a tough shell to crack.

"When I was twelve and he proved to me that bonds are worth more than the exhilaration of breaking them or killing those who have them." To most this answer would have been slightly disturbing, but Neji merely found himself nodding in understanding. Gaara paused for a moment, bringing his cup to his full lips, before continuing on. "His method was quite...persuasive."

"Did he beat the shit out you?" Neji would have liked to have added slightly more class to the inquiry, but he always seemed to be saying the wrong thing around this man.

"More or less." Was the simple answer and Neji felt a slight upward tugging on his lips as he realized once again he had had no effect on the other youth. "It wasn't until after I was laying on the ground, unable to move, and watching him continue to crawl towards me that I realized that strength cannot be measured by how many people die by your hands, nor is closing yourself off the key to power. At the time I didn't know what love really was, nor did I have any desire to welcome it, but the first and only time I ever felt something that could only be described using that word, it was because of him...so, if you want to say that I fell in love with him because he beat the shit out of me, I guess that would be an appropriate observation." Gaara raised his cup to drink once more and Neji found himself in awe. He had never heard the Kazekage utter so many words at once before, and never in his life had he felt that someone could say something that was so similar to the way that he felt. "So, Hyuuga, when did you fall in love with him?"

Neji coughed slightly, and turned his head to the side attempting to hide the blush that he knew was forming on his cheeks and giving away his slight discomfort.

"Did you expect me not ask you as well?" Though Gaara's voice still held his usual tone of disinterest, Neji could not help but notice the slight edge of amusement that had not been there before. Was the Kazekage actually teasing him? With his pride kicking in at full force, Neji turned back towards the younger boy to stare directly into teal eyes, all traces of embarrassment gone.

"I guess you could say my interest of him began after we fought against each other in the Chuunin Exams...it grew from there." Neji threw out nonchalantly, as if he wasn't spilling out his inner thoughts to a boy he didn't know very well.

"I believe he beat the shit out of you as well, Hyuuga."

Neji felt his lips twitch into a smirk. "More or less." His words were met with Gaara's own smirk. "All my life I had believed that my destiny was unchanging and that there was nothing I could do about it. I felt that no matter how strong I got that I would still only be viewed as less where it really mattered, and that I was condemned to a caged life, at the mercy of the people that, at the time, I hated the most. Naruto changed that." He didn't feel like he needed to explain further, after all, when it came to Naruto, both of them already understood anyways.

"Neither of us will ever have him." Neji had resigned himself long ago to this fact, but hearing it said aloud by someone who knew it as well as he did, was a low blow to his gut. He had accepted it, accepted that he would never win against Uchiha Sasuke, but he still didn't want to hear it.

"I know." Was all he managed to say and the pair fell into silence, trying to remind themselves once again that this was something that they had both already known. The few other costumers began to dwindle even more in number as the night wore on, and still they continued to sit, food already cold, silence hanging heavily in the air, and neither caring enough to break it.

It was Neji who finally decided to speak in the silence that was quickly becoming something that was quite uncomfortable.

"Uchiha doesn't deserve someone like him." He spoke softly, though there was a slight edge of malice in his voice.

"I'm not sure if anyone does." Gaara replied, leaving no doubt that he meant that that included himself as well.

"But at least someone else could realize that and treat him the way he deserves to be treated."

"Are you talking about yourself?" Gaara questioned, no hint of delicacy in his voice.

"Do you not feel the same way?" Neji quickly retorted, and Gaara fell silent. It was no use trying to persuade someone to believe differently when you felt the same way. Neji cleared his throat quietly, slightly embarrassed by his small outburst. "I...I know how I would treat him. I know that I would be able to give him the care that he has deserved all of his life. If I had him I sure as hell would make it worth it to him for choosing me." His eyes fell towards the table, studying the plain print of the tablecloth. "But I also know that he will never choose me. He loves _him_. Why, I have no idea, but he does. I can't change that and neither can you, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to kill the bastard ever time I see his smug face, and it isn't because he has the thing I want the most. It's because he insults me, you and everyone else who has ever loved Naruto by crushing what's given to him so freely."

"You know he loves Naruto." Neji was not surprised that Gaara had figured it out as well.

"Yes, but he wont let himself. I don't understand him. No matter how much of a genius I might be believed to be, I still don't understand how he can throw it all away like that."

"And people say that I have emotional issues." Gaara said dryly, picking disinterestedly at his cold food.

"Tell me about it." Neji agreed, before he realized what had been said and who had said it. Once again he had to fight the urge to look at the red head in total shock. "Did you just make a joke, Kazekage-sama?"

"Of course not." And Gaara said it so flatly that Neji couldn't help but chuckle softly. The younger boy let a smile grace his lips. It was small but it was there, and in the back of Neji's mind he noted to himself that he would like to see the Kazekage smile more often. It was simple, but...refreshing.

"I don't want to see him hurt anymore." Neji said after sometime, the previous light feeling already becoming overshadowed by graver topics.

"Nor do I, but if the Uchiha continues to push him away, it's not something that can be helped." Gaara said objectively, attempting to keep rationality in the conversation, though he was fighting a losing battle in trying to stay impartial.

"Should we use Naruto's method and beat some sense into him?" Neji asked, only half joking.

"No, one of us might kill him in the process." Gaara answered back...also, only half joking.

"Well, then should we try to help him figure things out at least?"

"Would it be appropriate to meddle in things that are no really our business?" Gaara questioned, though his already flimsy resolve was breaking.

"No, but when it comes to Naruto, I say fuck morality." Neji did not hesitated in his answer and there was no trace jesting to be found in his lilac eyes.

Gaara felt a smirk forming on his lips as his resolve fell completely.

"I think we will get along quite well, Hyuuga."


	4. A Plan

**A/N:** Thank you once again to all my reviews! I love you guys! Especially thank you to akilana for the helpful input. Do you think that the new summary is helping at all?

Chapters are starting to get gradually longer...

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**A Plan**

It was easier to say that you were going to do something rather than actually come up with a plan of action. Both Neji and Gaara were revered as geniuses, prodigies even, and yet neither boy had the slightest clue of how to actually go about commencing their little declaration to help Sasuke admit his feelings for Naruto.

It would be much simpler if they could just talk to the youngest Uchiha and convince him of what would be the correct choice to make, but Sasuke was too much of a stubborn jackass for that to do any good, and neither Neji nor Gaara thought they had the patience to deal with the high-strung ice prince.

Another option was actually beating their logic into the Uchiha, but that plan had already been dismissed for obvious reasons. Ethics really had nothing to do with it, both boys just really did not want to deal with murder or a heartbroken blonde Jinchuuriki on their hands.

So, for this particular case, though they were loathed to admit it out loud, they were stumped.

Dammit.

The walk back to the Kazekage Suite was made in silence, both boys too lost in their own thoughts to really hold up a decent conversation. The streets were vacant, only adding to the silence in the late night, or rather morning, but neither boy really minded at all. Both had went through years of solitude, whether self imposed or not, so the fact that there was someone there at all was enjoyable in itself.

They reached the Kazekage Suite with no real registration, and they nodded their heads towards each other in a silent goodnight, before Gaara reached to open the door. He paused at the handle and turned around to face the other shinobi.

"Thank you for dinner. It was enjoyable." The sentence held no real emotion, but Neji could hear the sincerity in it nevertheless. Gaara was not one for expressing his feelings or showing his gratitude over simple matters, but neither was Neji, so for him it was enough.

A small smile graced his lips. "You're welcome, Kazekage-sama."

"Gaara."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Gaara." The Kazekage stated flatly. "I don't desire for you to address me with such an honorific anymore. Call me Gaara."

Neji looked at the Kazekage in mild shock, before his smile returned once more. "Goodnight, Gaara."

"Goodnight." And with that, both boys turned in the opposite direction, one towards his own home and the other into his current living residence.

He made his way to his rather large bed as he sat down with natural grace on the silken sheets. He did not attempt to remove his clothes as he scooted closer to the headboard, in order to take on a more relaxed sitting position. He knew he was not going to get any sleep at all tonight, not that that actually bothered him. Gaara, usually got very little sleep in the first place and when he did it was only because he was more relaxed than usual, so, how could he be expected to get any sleep when he couldn't stop thinking?

His mind raced with thoughts of what to do about the current situation. Never had he imagined that he would actually be thinking up ways to help Naruto get together with someone else. He had never really believed that Naruto could love him in the way that he loved the blonde idiot, but that didn't mean that he really wanted to help the man find a deeper relationship with someone who was not him. It was hard to think about the other boy being so intimate with Uchiha Sasuke, but Gaara had long since resigned himself to the fact that if Naruto ever chose to be with anybody, than it would be the Uchiha. Gaara himself had never thought of being with anybody but Naruto and he really couldn't imagine being with anybody else even now, but he accepted his own defeat.

Yet, did he really want to see Naruto with Sasuke? Furthermore, did he really want to help Naruto be with Sasuke?

It was a tough decision to make, and though he pushed the feeling aside for a more rational one, in the back his mind he could admit that no amount of acceptance could stop the painful tugging in his chest. For so long he had lived without this feeling, this hurt, yet Naruto had been the one to bring it back full force, and no matter how grateful he was, there was still a small part of him that hated to feel like this.

But Naruto was worth it. It had never been a question of that, and like Neji had said, he didn't want to see the blonde hurt anymore. And if that meant completely destroying even the smallest bit of hope and helping Naruto get together with the very source of his pain, then so be it.

Naruto was definitely worth it.

He was positive Neji felt the same.

But still, how were they supposed to help at all? No matter how much he racked his brain for an idea to help out the Uchiha, the only thing that came to mind were rather disturbing pictures of what he could do to the snooty bastard. The boy almost made Gaara wish to take back is resolution to not kill for the hell of it. But no, that had already been decided that that wouldn't do at all.

So, what then?

Gaara was leaving soon to return to his duties as the Kazekage of Suna, so what could possible be done when he was separated from the issues by such a long distance?

Then it hit him.

A smirk spread across his lips in the darkness of his room, as he continued to sit, his mind roving over the details of this plan that was forming at a rapid pace inside his head. He waited patiently for the sun to rise and a decent hour to come before he could have a talk with the Godaime Hokage. He hoped she would be agreeable to it all. After all, it would be rather troublesome if he had to wage war on the woman.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Excuse me?" Tsunade said with a slight edge of annoyance at having been woken up so early. She rubbed her temple soothingly as she pushed aside an empty sake bottle as if attempting to make her desk look slightly neater in the presence of the Kazekage. Gaara could see the distinct imprint of ink on her forehead where she had fallen asleep on top of her unfinished paperwork. He resisted the urge to shake his head.

"I said that would like to have an escort back to Suna. Three to be exact." He stated, his tone working to make sure that the woman knew that this was not a request.

Tsunade huffed, obviously not impressed. "We've already set up for Inuzuka-"

"Well, I want to change that." He cut her off abruptly, though his voice was as even as ever.

Tsunade groaned, apparently from her hangover as she continued the vigorous rubbing on her scalp. She was really in no mood to deal with this at the moment. "Fine, who do you want?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto…and Hyuuga Neji." Was his calm answer.

"Tch, you're really shoot high, don't you, brat?" He decided to ignore the brat comment as she continued on. "All of them have missions coming up soon."

"Well, get someone else to do them. I'm sure you have other qualified shinobi in your village, am I correct?" He stated smoothly, never breaking the heated stare he had going on with the older woman.

"Yes, but-"

"And I'm sure that it would not be that impertinent of an issue for you to give their assignments to someone else."

"Listen here-"

"As the Hokage I would assume that it is your duty to make sure that all visitors to your village have their desires met and the optimum protection on their return trip."

"Brat-"

"As the Kazekage, my village would not look kindly on you if anything were to happen to my well-being because my request was not met."

By this point the blonde woman was looking quite harassed. "Are you threatening me?" Her golden eyes narrowed as she held the redhead's gaze.

"Yes." There was no hesitation.

The woman gave him an incredulous look before rolling her eyes and leaning over the desk to invade Gaara's personal space. Her massive breasts swung back and forth as she leaned over and braced herself on her arms to balance herself. "Look here, kid, I'll be damned if I'm going to be intimidated by a brat like you. The answer is still no." Tsunade finished lowly.

A lesser man would have been cowering in fear by this point, but Gaara just merely let out a small sigh of annoyance. Clearly the threat of war was having no effect on this woman. It was time to pull out his trump card.

"Hokage-sama, I have documents stating that you owe a large sum of money to Suna. I have been looking over this fact for the past couple of years, but-"

Tsuande held up a hand to stop him. Her face was quite red from obvious anger but she looked up at him in acknowledged defeat. "What were those names again…Kazekage-sama"

Gaara had to stop the smirk. "Thank you for your corporation."

-------------------------------------------------------------

Naruto, Sasuke and Neji stood gathered at the gates of Konoha as they watched Gaara approach.

"What's all this about?" Naruto called to his friend, a huge grin plastered on his face as his arms rested behind his head. Gaara felt his heart clench at that smile, as he finally reached them.

"You are to escort me back to Suna."

"Hell yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, obviously looking forward to the chance of spending more time with his friend.

Sasuke let out a huff of annoyance before returning to his usual cold mask and letting out a rather redundant, "Hn."

Neji, on the other hand…Neji was trying to cover up his shock. It didn't take a genius figure out what was going on here.

"well, lets go." Sasuke stated rather coldly before he made his way out of the gate, his blonde friend trailing closely behind. Neji and Gaara lagged behind them, creating enough distance for them to speak in low whispers and not be heard.

"What is this all about, Gaara?" Neji immediately questioned, and Gaara found that he rather liked that Neji had no problems saying his name.

"You said that we should help the Uchiha figure things out."

"Yes, but this?"

"I really didn't see any other way, I was leaving soon. Besides this is the most rational answer if we want to really spend some time on them."

"But-"

"Are you backing out, Hyuuga?" There it was, that slight edge of amusement that Gaara had seemed to have reserved for him. Damn the Hyuuga pride.

"Alright then, let's do this." Neji said, not even attempting to not sound cocky.

"Hey, will you two catch up!" Naruto yelled, from some distance ahead of them.

"Quiet down, dobe." Sasuke coldly scolded the other boy.

"Oi, teme!…" the two seemed to begin a heated argument that ended with Naruto throwing a punch, which the Uchiha easily dodged. It seemed this was going to be quite a difficult task indeed if the two boys could not go five minutes without fighting with each other…but still, Naruto was worth it. To see him happy was even more so.

Neji and Gaara exchanged a look as the two other boys began to argue again.

"It's time for some intervention, Hyuuga."

  



	5. Of Bathing and Pit Stops

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto **

**A/N**: Yay! New update! Anyways, just as a quick side note, most of this story will be told from Neji's perspective, but occasionally I will switch the point of views…not that I'm sure you care, but meh, anyways…

Special thanks to:

Nemo

blacjacc

akilana

MayumiNorika

leesoca

XCynicalX: Ah yes, the wonders of hot sex!

kel

Names-fang-got-it-memorized

hide.behind.green.eyes 

Not to sound like a stalker, but I love you all and I am now sending you internet hugs and kisses filled with my devotion.

* * *

**Of Bathing and Pit Stops**.

They had a problem.

It was a great plan in theory, at least Gaara believed so, but it was slightly more difficult than expected when put into action. For instance, it was easy to say that they were going to somehow bring Naruto and Sasuke together on this three day journey through woods and the desert. However, three days was not really a long time, and with the way things were currently going...

"Fuck off and die, you uptight prick!" Naruto's bellow of outrage had surely been heard all the way to Suna. Neji and Gaara both had to hold back a cringe as they watched their two companions exchange heated glares. Honestly, they had only set off two hours ago.

"That's eloquent, Dobe, but of course I really wouldn't expect someone like you to know how to speak properly. Besides, there's no point in 'fucking off', we all saw what happened last time I tried to accomplish that particular task." The Uchiha finished in a dry tone, his pointed nose turning up slightly in a sneer.

"Yeah, I kicked your ass all the way back to Konoha, that's what!" It was not difficult to pick out the triumph in Naruto's voice.

"No, idiot, you stuck that nose of yours in places that it didn't belong." Sasuke growled, his fists curling up by his sides.

"It got you back, didn't it?" Naruto shot back, a shit-eating grin plastered on his tan face.

"You assume that I even wanted to be back. Especially with an idiot like you." Sasuke said coldly, his eyes averted towards the ground. Naruto's smile quickly dropped to be replaced with something that could only be described as a snarl.

"What did you say, teme?"

"You heard me."

And on it went.

Neji and Gaara hung back a little ways to watch the two boys argue with each other. It seemed to be the same thing over and over again. There was never really a specific point to any of their arguments, just always one boy trying to one-up the other. Insults were tossed around like common speech between the two and each time the argument would either end in cold silence or a full-blown physical fight.

It was unnerving to watch.

"Love is in the air." Neji muttered under his breath, as not to alert the two boys in front of them, the sarcasm nearly dripping from his words. Gaara looked over to the shinobi beside him, his head nodding slightly in agreement. "Do you think we've gotten in over our heads? This seems pretty hopeless."

"Most things do until you look at them from a different angle." Gaara said softly, and Neji had to admire the fact that though the Kazekage did not speak much, when he did it was worth the wait.

"Any ideas then, Gaara?" Neji questioned, a delicate eyebrow quirking as he eyed the redhead expectantly.

"None." Gaara stated simply, his sea green eyes staring unwaveringly into Neji's own lilac ones. "Besides, I believe it's your turn to come up with one, Hyuuga."

"I didn't realize this was a 'take-turns' situation." Neji said, his voice as level as the Kazekage's own.

"Then that was your mistake, Hyuuga." Gaara answered, a hint of a smirk tugging at his pink lips.

Neji was about to open his mouth to retort when the increase in volume in front of him halted any type of comeback he had prepared.

"Dammit, what is your problem!" Naruto and Sasuke had completely stopped walking and were now facing each other, mere inches separating them. The lack of distance between them would have seemed intimate if it weren't for the deathly glares that were being shared.

"My answer is the same every time you ask me that, bakayaro." Sasuke replied, without any hint of emotion in his voice.

"Well, I've always been slow on the uptake, so could you repeat it for me?" Naruto growled, his breath dancing across Sasuke's pale skin, causing a shiver to race pleasantly and unwelcome down his spine.

"Just leave it, Naruto." Sasuke demanded, his annoyance beginning to show. He did not really feel comfortable having this type of conversation in front of two people that he was quite certain would have no problem administrating capital punishment if he said something too hurtful to the blonde. Not that was afraid, far from it, it would just be a hassle to deal with them both.

"No, I wont, Sasuke." Naruto pressed, determined to get the answer from him.

"This is pointless-"

"Just answer the question, bastard." Naruto gritted out, clearly having no patience for this game that they had played many times before.

"You are my problem!" Sasuke took a step even closer to Naruto, the tip of his nose almost touching the tanned one that was so close to his own. "You are always there! Always there when everyone needs you. Always there to save the day. Always there to help out those in need. But what if I don't want you there, Naruto! I didn't need to be saved, and I sure as hell didn't need to be saved by _you_." The Uchiha, who had yet to raise his voice beyond a cool octave of indifference, was now all but yelling at the other boy. Naruto stood in shock, his blue eyes wide with something that could only be viewed as hurt, and his mouth hanging open, but any words that might have been said were lost in the silence that now stood between the boys. Naruto stood for a few more seconds, letting Sasuke's words completely register, before his mouth fell into a rehearsed grin and a hand reached up to scratch hesitantly at the back of his scalp. Naruto was the perfect picture of what those who did not know better believed him to be. A goofy, happy-go-lucky idiot. Years of training himself to fool those around him had made him one hell of an actor. But the hurt in his eyes was still there, one just had to be able to see it. And unfortunately, no matter how good of an actor Naruto might be, he would never be good enough to fool these particular three.

"Ah, gomen, gomen," Naruto said in a tone of false cheerfulness and Neji and Gaara would have been ready to screw any previous hang-ups they had about killing the Uchiha if it weren't for the fact that it looked like Sasuke wanted to kill himself. "Sorry, I got a little carried away. Lets get going. Forget this happened, ne Sasuke?"

"Naruto, I-" Sasuke began, but Naruto cut him off as if he hadn't even heard the other boy.

"Neji, Gaara, will you two hurry up! It's a wonder you are shinobi with how slow you both are!" Naruto bellowed over his shoulder to his friends, that same grin on his face, just as heartbreaking as it always was. Naruto began to walk on ahead of them, never looking Sasuke in the eyes as he passed him. Sasuke could feel the murderous intent of the two chakras behind him, but he ignored it as he followed after the blonde jinchuuriki, head hung low and black bangs covering his face from the world.

Neji and Gaara watched the other two walk away as they shared glances towards each other.

"Bastard…" Neji seethed quietly beside Gaara, constantly having to remind himself that it would upset Naruto if he were to maim the love of his life. Gaara chose to ignore that comment as his hand fell warningly on Neji's shoulder. He didn't believe that the other boy would actually do anything but it never hurt to be too cautious.

In all actuality he was just as pissed off as the Hyuuga was, but he felt that that anger could be directed into actually achieving their goal rather than just mindless killing. Ah, If his old-self could see him now…

"We could really use that plan now, Hyuuga." Gaara said expectantly.

"We need more time. Three days is not enough." Neji replied, keeping his voice even as he tried to focus on a plan of action in order to calm himself. Neji began to search desperately in his mind for something, anything to help. They needed more time, that was all there was to it.

And then it hit him.

A smirk spread across his lips, one that Gaara did not miss. Neji looked again towards the two boys ahead of him before calling out. "Time for a break!"

* * *

Neji saw Sasuke's eye twitch for what must have been the thirtieth time that day. He was starting to be able to anticipate when it would happen and he had to admit that the habit was becoming increasingly annoying. However, he wasn't sure if he would be faring any different if he was in Sasuke's current situation. 

In the time span of the last five hours they had stopped a total of seven times. Neji worried that they might be taking things a little too far, but hell, it seemed to be getting the job done. (Not to mention that when they were moving Neji would purposely leading them through "short-cuts") Their "breaks" were increasing in length each time they stopped, and the reasons behind the little pit stops were increasing in falseness.

First it had just been excuses of needing a break to rest up. Still, they were trained shinobi so that in itself was already unbelievable.

However, after that one had worn out its welcome, a string of other ailments had sprung forth from the Kazekage and the Hyuuga prodigy's mouths.

"Gaara you look paler than usual, maybe we should stop and rest." It was no use pointing out the fact that it would be very difficult for Gaara to get much paler than he already was, but who were they to argue with the eyes of the Byakugan.

So they stopped. Again. That's when Neji noticed the thirty-first eye-twitch of the day.

Naruto seemed to be completely oblivious to the entire situation and Neji and Gaara's intentions, but Sasuke…well, Sasuke was pissed. He was, after all, yet another one of Konoha's geniuses so for him it wasn't very hard to figure out. He didn't know why the other two were stalling but they were, and it was really beginning to piss him off. It was bad enough that he was already stuck on a mundane mission with two people who probably spent their spare time plotting his unsightly demise, and the blonde that was already permanently implanted in his brain anyways, but now this little escapade had to be longer than it needed to be? This was a load of bullshit.

But Uchihas do not pout, so Sasuke opted to scowl instead.

Neji and Gaara watched as their two companions leaned against trees facing the opposite direction from each other. They had not spoken to one another since the incident some hours before. Most would think that their silence was better than the constant fighting, but the tension was so think that it was nearly strangling. Why had Naruto fallen in love with this prick and opted to pursue such a screwed up relationship?

However, neither Neji nor Gaara felt that it was their place to question it. Love wasn't always simple and perfect, they were already proof of that themselves.

They loved the blonde enough to try to hook him up with someone else who they hated…no, they had no room to talk at all.

After some minutes of uncomfortable silence, with Naruto and Sasuke refusing to make eye contact, Neji and Gaara doing nothing_ but _making eye contact with each other and sharing silent conversations, it was Sasuke who finally spoke first.

"Well, you seem better now, so why don't we keep moving." He threw out in a low voice, cutting effectively through the smothering silence. As he stood to dust himself off, Neji looked for an excuse to prolong their little stop. Finding nothing, he looked to Gaara discreetly for help.

"I'm hungry." The Kazekage stated simply, looking directly at the Uchiha. "We're not leaving until we eat something, and I don't much care for rations."

Even Neji had to give him an incredulous look at that one.

Seriously…

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly as he met Gaara's blank stare with a glare. "If we keep moving for a little longer then we can eat dinner when we stop for the night." He said coldly.

"Well, then lets camp here tonight." Gaara said smoothly, clearly unfazed.

"You can't be serious."

"Do you have a problem, Uchiha?" Though Gaara's voice was as flat as usual, there was an underlining warning in his tone. Sasuke only took a step towards the flame haired man, his jaw set in a firm line.

"As a matter of fact-"

"Yatta! Man, you're right, Gaara, I'm starving! I don't mind stopping here for the night." Naruto was now standing between Gaara and Sasuke, his voice as cheerful as ever, but it was clear to everyone what he was trying to do. Naruto loved to fight with his friends, but he couldn't stand to see his friends fight with each other.

"Naruto-" Sasuke began in a heated voice but Naruto quickly cut him off.

"Onegai, Sasuke." Naruto's voice was one that people did not hear often, completely devoid of it's usual cheerfulness or outrage.

Sasuke stared at him for a few moments, as if contemplating his decision, before sighing in annoyance and going back to lean against his pervious tree. "Fine, let's stay here for the night."

"Arigato, Sasuke." Naruto said with a genuine smile, while Neji and Gaara looked at each other in mild surprise. Maybe there was more understanding between the two than Gaara and Neji had given them credit for.

"Hell yeah, let's have ramen!" The blonde's boisterous attitude had returned in full force.

"Quiet down, dobe."

"Oi, bastard!"

And so it began again.

* * *

Night had finally settled fully upon them as the group sat silently around the campfire, save for one member.

Naruto.

The boy had decided to take a small walk a while back ago and had yet to return. Needless to say, the other three who had stayed behind were passing the time by coming up with ways to make the tension even thicker. Though, they really hadn't made it passed glaring silently. Sasuke sat with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands as his coal eyes studied the two other shinobi that sat across from him. Neither of them felt it necessary to be polite and not stare, so Sasuke's gaze was met directly and unwaveringly by two other pairs of eyes. None of them were willing to back down. Sasuke's glare was one of contemplation, as he tried to figure out what was going on in the other two's heads. Neji and Gaara's glares were there because…they didn't like Sasuke.

It went on like this for quite some time and Sasuke was beginning to wonder where the dobe had run off to. He wasn't worried. Oh hell no, Uchiha's do not worry. But, still…

"Maybe you should go look for him if it's bothering you that much." Neji's voice would have startled Sasuke if he was a lesser man.

"It's none of my business what that idiot does." Sasuke snapped, resuming his position of contemplation.

"You're fidgeting quite a bit, Uchiha, is something wrong?" This time it was Gaara who spoke as he glanced over the Uchiha.

"I'm fine." Sasuke ground out, he had been edgy all day and interrogation from these two emotionless assholes was not something that he really wanted to deal with.

"Is that so…" Neji said, his lips twitching slightly as he watched the Uchiha's fists begin to ball up unconsciously.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Neji and Gaara just waiting for the inevitable. Finally the Uchiha stood up abruptly.

"Dammit." He muttered in irritation before setting off in the direction he had seen Naruto take off in.

If Neji and Gaara were anybody else they would have been grinning like idiots at this point.

Sasuke walked through the forest, the trees thick around him as he searched for the blonde shinobi. He followed the trail of broken twigs and familiar chakra signature as his mind raced with the events of the day.

The image of Naruto's impossibly wide and hurting blue eyes was the one that continued to make itself apparent. He hadn't meant to hurt him, or perhaps at the time he had, but the result of his words left no triumph only a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.

If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have cared. If he had seen that looked of pain in anyone else's it wouldn't have bothered him. But it had to be Naruto and he had to be the cause of it.

And he hated the guilt he felt for it. Hated the way seeing Naruto in pain made him feel it as well. Hated Naruto for making him feel when all he really wanted was to be numb.

He cursed under his breath as he felt his chest tightening. He didn't want this. He was fine with being dead on the inside, he didn't want Naruto to make him feel alive.

He wasn't happy when he suppressed his emotions, but he wasn't sad either, and he couldn't forgive Naruto for taking that emptiness from him. Naruto had saved him yet again and Sasuke hated him for it.

Hated him because he made Sasuke care.

And Sasuke wished for anything else but that.

His was pulled from his thoughts as he heard splashing coming from somewhere in front of him.

He quickly headed in the direction of the sound and stopped short behind a tree, his eyes coming in contact with a small lake and a very naked blonde.

His first instinct was to turn away, to give his teammate some privacy, but for some reason his eyes lingered on the lithe form of his friend. The pale light from the moon illuminated the tan skin that was exposed before his eyes and he felt his mouth go dry, as his sharingan activated, and he unconsciously began to memorize the sight in front of him.

Naruto's back was facing him as the blond stood up to his waist in water. His hair was darkened with water from a previous dive in and droplets of liquid were slowly trailing from the tips of his hair to trace between golden shoulder blades, down a delicately curved spine, and down to the slope of the blonde's ass, which was mostly hidden in the water, but Sasuke could still make out the beginning curve of what promised to be a round yet firm buttocks.

Naruto had a nice ass, Sasuke was well aware, and seeing it like this was all the more alluring and aggravating. Sasuke had seen Naruto naked plenty of times before in places like the public bath house, but this was different. This was private and intimate and something that Sasuke new he shouldn't be spying on.

He knew this, and yet…

Despite his back being turned from Sasuke, he could tell that Naruto was holding something white in his hands.

Soap.

The blonde slowly began to rub the bar against one sculpted shoulder and down a muscled arm, leaving a light lather in its wake. Naruto then began to rub against the smooth skin of his bicep, working out the kinks and smoothing in the soap.

Sasuke licked his lips, and was just about to step in closer for a better look when he became quite aware of the tightening in his pants. Somehow, the awareness of his arousal pulled him forcefully from his dobe-induced haze as he felt his cheeks grow hot with a blush that was unbefitting of an Uchiha. Sasuke berated himself as he turned reluctantly away from the tempting sight and left the other shinobi in privacy as he headed off quickly and stealthily towards camp.

As he reached the place they had set up for the night, he spared no glances at the other two boys as he stormed into the tent. He could feel their questioning stares on the back oh his neck and he resisted the urge to tell them that it was 'none of their damn business.'

Neji and Gaara sat looking at the tent entrance in mild shock.

"What the hell was that all about?" Neji questioned, and all Gaara could do was shrug.

****

  



	6. Watching the Stars

**A/N:** A little bit of smutty content…Thank you to all my reviews. I'm sorry I don't have time to address you specifically but I promise I will in the next chapter.

* * *

**Watching the Stars**

He was still hard.

Even after running through the woods in a cold sweat and undeniable shame, there was still an ache in his pants that was pissing him off to no end.

It would have been much easier if his body would listen to what his mind was screaming, but of course, it seemed nothing ever really did come easy for him.

He groaned softly as he rubbed himself with the palm of his hand through his shorts, trying to relieve some of the tension that was growing there, but that only seemed to make matters worse, and he cursed angrily under his breath.

He wished that Naruto didn't have this effect on him. He wished that he could look at his supposed best friend and see him as only a best friend, and not as some heavenly creature that he wanted to dirty by pounding him into the ground.

And God, did he want to fuck him.

But of course, he couldn't admit that aloud. Hell, he was already having trouble admitting it to himself, even when his cock was painfully hard and his slim fingers were reaching for the zipper of his shorts.

He continued to berate himself even as he cast a glance towards the tent opening to make sure no one would come in and see the proof of just what exactly Naruto did to him.

He could already picture the type of scenario that would occur if Neji or Gaara decided to walk in. It would be pretty much the same as their regular interactions of wordless glaring and no blinking, only with Sasuke's hand around his cock.

It really didn't seem pleasant at all.

Once he was sure that they were not going to burst in, he wasted no time in diving his hand past his pants and underwear to wrap firmly around his pulsing heat. There was no point in taking it slow with teasing caresses, not when he was worried about being caught.

He pulled his arousal completely out of his pants, hissing slightly as the heated flesh was hit by the cold night air, before dropping gracefully on his knees and continuing.

Despite the need to rush, he couldn't help slowly tracing the pad of his thumb around the bulbous head, smearing the liquid that had already begun to form there. He paused in his ministrations to press his blunt fingernail into the slit and he had to bite his bottom lip quite painfully to keep from crying out.

Now, Uchiha Sasuke was not one to pleasure himself often, but when he did feel the need, it didn't take long for him to bring himself off. After all, he knew his body better than anyone, and it was only in moments like these that he could admit finally that there was only one other person that he wanted to know his body, perhaps even more than he knew it himself.

He used the other hand that was not currently at work to brace himself against the ground, and he felt his arm tremble slightly from the effort as he began to fist the erect flesh in earnest. He ran his fingers along the vein on the underside of his cock, alternating between pressing against it gently and then almost bruisingly. All during this he was aware of the tent entrance and possible intruders. He was also aware of the images that kept wanting to invade his mind, but being as stubborn as he was he refused to let them in, to fully give them a name.

His breathing became harsher as his pace increased, all sense of teasing completely gone as he firmly stroked. The precome was enough to make his harsh movements flow easier, effortlessly with the contrast of his calloused hand on his most velvety and sensitive flesh, but he wanted more. He stopped quickly in his ministrations to spit into the palm of his hand, before bringing it down to continue his work. He had enough control to keep his noises of pleasure to a minimum, as not alert the others, but the friction of his slick hand on his aching cock was maddening.

He felt his eyes slide closed for the first time and finally the images that he had worked to keep at bay came flooding in. Naruto, sliding his own tanned hand up and down his weeping flesh. Naruto's pouty lips wrap deliciously tight around his cock, blue eyes connected with his, all sense of a glare gone but with the same amount of intensity. Naruto, on all fours, ass high in the air, legs spread, ordering harshly, then pleading softly for Sasuke and only Sasuke to fuck him, brand him, make him come and never forget who had done it. Naruto, arched up and screaming his name as Sasuke thrust relentlessly into him.

Naruto…holding him close, his fingers entwined with Sasuke's own. Naruto, trailing light kisses across the bits of skin that were not so sexual, but just as intimate.

Naruto, telling Sasuke that he loved him.

And that was enough. Feeling his orgasm approaching, Sasuke used his free hand to reach for his knapsack, that was luckily located right beside him, and pull out a piece of cloth, probably a shirt, in order to not just shoot onto the floor and leave evidence of this little act. With one last tug, him came harshly, his spine going tight and arched from the intensity of his completion, his head flung back and his mouth hung open in a soundless cry of white hot agony.

As he rode out his orgasm, only his hand and shirt being covered with the sticky white substance, he tried not to think about what had just happened. He tried not to think about who he had been thinking about, or the fact that he wanted the very person he was desperately trying to push away.

After he finished he wasted no time in whiping the slowly cooling liquid off of his hand with the already soiled bit of cloth, before tucking it safely into his bag and away from prying eyes. He stood on shaking legs as he tucked his now flaccid penis back into his shorts, and only when he slumped against his bedroll, did he pause to catch his breath.

He felt sated and angry all at once, and he was again stuck with the feelings that he so desperately wanted to destroy. He kept his eyes held tightly shut, as if that would bring him solace, and he felt shame in the fact that even his lustful visions proved that when it came to the blonde, it meant so much more than just wanting to fuck him.

"Naruto." The name fell almost brokenly from his chapped lips as mental and physical exhaustion began to take over. That name and that boy would be the end of him.

* * *

"What the hell was that about?" Neji questioned, after watching a very disgruntled Uchiha close himself up in their temporary living space. Seeing Gaara shrug and realizing that the other boy had just as much of a clue as he did, he activated his kekkei genkai and peered into the tent that was currently occupied by one very pissed off Uchiha Sasuke. As he looked, he noticed Sasuke just standing there, his breathing coming out harshly from the way his shoulders heaved. At first it seemed like the Uchiha was content to just stand, but then Neji saw something that made him go stiff.

The Uchiha was rubbing himself through his pants.

Not believing his eyes, Neji watched as Sasuke gave a cautious look in Neji and Gaara's direction before undoing the fly of his shorts and falling abruptly to his knees.

No way…

Neji felt his mouth go dry. This was very unexpected, especially from the Uchiha brat. He was having a rather hard time believing what he was seeing, but there it was right in front of his face.

Uchiha Sasuke was jerking off.

In a tent.

With Gaara and Neji just outside the door.

What in the hell was going on?

Finally, feeling a bit of humility wash over him, Neji deactivated his Byakugan and completely turned his face away from the tent all together.

Gaara immediately noticed the tensing of Neji's body and the expression of shock that overwhelmed his pretty features.

"Is something wrong, Hyuuga?" He inquired softly, as not to alert the Uchiha.

Neji said nothing, but the blush that had already begun on his pale skin only deepened at the Kazekage's question.

Gaara tried a different approach as he noticed that Neji was not going to answer. "Is the Uchiha alright?"

By this point Neji was completely red and Gaara continued to stare at him waiting for the answer. When he saw that Neji only averted his eyes even further from the tent that Sasuke was occupying, Gaara stood up abruptly.

"I'm going in there."

"No!" Was the hissed plea, and in a second Neji was standing in front of the younger boy, blocking his way. "Don't go in there."

"What is going on then?" Gaara's tone suggested that he either wanted an answer or he was going to find out for himself. Neji would have smirked at the redhead's attempt to intimidate him, if he weren't currently stuttering to find the right words to express exactly what he had seen.

"Uchiha, he's…he's…" Neji trailed off, hoping the other boy would catch on and drop it.

"He's what?" Gaara's eyes showed that he was genuinely confused.

Neji turned his face fully away from the young Kazekage as he lowered his voice even further. "He's_ pleasuring_ himself."

Neji chanced a glance at Gaara's face in order to see his reaction. His face was as impassive as ever, one would say that he wasn't affected at all, if it weren't for the fact that his eyes had widened considerably. "Oh…" Was all he said.

"Yeah…" Neji answered back, and they both made their way back to their previous sitting positions. They sat in an uncomfortable silence for quite awhile, both pondering what they had just witnessed.

It would have gone on like that for quite sometime if Gaara hadn't decided to break the silence.

"Do you think he is thinking about Naruto?"

Neji's head snapped towards the other boy, and he just stared silently, pondering what he wanted his answer to be, before speaking. "I…yes." There was no doubt in Neji's mind that a certain blonde was the only thing on Sasuke's mind at the moment.

"I think so too." Both were not entirely sure how they felt about that, and once again they fell into a deep silence. It wasn't until Neji felt Gaara's eyes on him that he turned once again to find the redheaded boy staring at him, patiently waiting for Neji to acknowledge him. "Do you think about Naruto when you do that."

Neji felt his cheeks heat for a second time that night as he gave Gaara an incredulous look.

He knew the other was blunt. Hell, he was pretty damn straightforward himself…

But, fuck…

"Gaara…" Neji began, but he was cut off immediately by the other boy.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Gaara stated simply, and once again, Neji felt as if the other boy was challenging him.

His face set in determination. This was no longer about embarrassing questions. This was about not letting the Kazekage of Suna one-up him. It seemed the other boy already knew what buttons to push. He didn't know if Gaara was good a reading people or if he was just good at reading Neji.

But that didn't matter at the moment.

"I don't do it often, but if I do, it's always been him." Neji's answer was disinterested and precise, as if he was giving directions.

Gaara smirked.

"You're interesting, Hyuuga." Gaara said, a hint of amusement shining clearly in his teal eyes. "I think about him too…" It was added like an afterthought, and Neji, for some reason, was not surprised by Gaara's nonchalant confession. What did surprise him was the image that accompanied the boy's words. Gaara, head thrown back, red hair falling away from his tightly closed eyes and parted pink lips, and legs spread wide as he languidly fisted his pale cock.

Neji coughed slightly, and shook his head to clear the surprising images from his mind.

Where had that come from?

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Neji congratulated himself on keeping his voice steady. Gaara seemed to contemplate him for a few more seconds before falling gracefully to his back, in a lying position.

"Do you enjoy watching the stars?" Gaara asked quietly.

Neji just stared at the reclining boy, whose eyes were directed towards the sky. "Very much so."

Gaara tuned his attention towards Neji, giving him a pointed look. "Then watch them with me."

With only the slightest bit of hesitation, Neji made his way to beside Gaara and settled down on his back. They both lay in a serene silence, both content to just look.

Neji pointed his finger towards one familiar star. "That one reminds me of him." He whispered, knowing the other had heard him.

"It shines the brightest, Hyuuga." Gaara agreed, calmness beginning to smooth the creases on his forehead.

"Neji." Neji corrected him suddenly.

"You want me to call you that?" Gaara turned his eyes towards him again and Neji did the same, there faces were only a short distance apart, and there eyes locked.

"It only seems fair, _Gaara_." Neji said the last part almost teasingly, trying to cover up the fact that he suddenly felt shy.

"If that is what you want…Neji." Neji shivered slightly at the sound of his name coming from those lips, and he felt a smile tug at his own.

"That is what I want."

Gaara was just about to open his mouth, when he was cut off by a very loud blond.

"What are you two doing?" Both Neji and Gaara sat up suddenly turning their gaze towards Naruto, who stood before them with a huge grin and wet hair.

"Looking at the stars, Naruto." Neji was the first to answer.

"That's boring!" The blond boy snorted in a dismissive manner before resolutely turning on heel and darting into the tent. Neji was just about to stop him, but paused when he heard no cries of surprise.

He activated his Byakugan once again to peer into the tent that was now inhabited by both the Uchiha and Naruto. He saw the blonde standing over the now obviously sleeping Uchiha. He noticed the way that Naruto's cheery goofiness dropped as he just stared down at the sleeping boy. Neji watched further as Naruto knelt beside Sasuke, and rose a single hand to brush a stray strand of hair away from the Uchiha's face. Sasuke stirred slightly, and Naruto backed away immediately, plopping down on his own bedroll beside the Uchiha, his head turned towards Sasuke, as he watched him sleep.

Neji deactivated his kekkei genkai, feeling as if he was prying in on something very personal. He felt his heart clench.

"It's sad." He said softly.

Gaara didn't even have to know what was exactly going on in the tent. "Yes, it is."

* * *

All four of them were now settled inside the tent, all of them sleeping except for Gaara, who sat in a meditative position, eyes closed in relaxation.

It was calm as Gaara listened to their even breathing, his eyes trailing over his three sleeping companions and lingering slightly longer than necessary on Neji.

And then he heard a soft groan.

His eyes strayed from the sleeping brunet in order to focus on the location of the groan. It came from the sleeping blonde.

Another groan then, and breathing more erratic than usual, and Gaara knew that Naruto was having a nightmare. The blonde's face was scrunched into one of almost pain as he began to thrash, sweat glistening on his paling skin.

Gaara wasn't sure how to approach this. He had never dealt with this situation before. He was still contemplating a course of action when he noticed the Uchiha rise up slightly to stare at the distraught boy beside him. With only a moment of blank staring, seemingly not even registering Gaara's presence, Sasuke draped an arm around Naruto's stomach and pulled the trembling boy against his chest. He settled back into a lying position and held the boy gently to him as the soft cries turned into small whimpers before disappearing altogether. Sasuke's eyes closed once more as he fell back into sleep, still clutching Naruto to his chest, nose buried in blonde hair.

Gaara witnessed it all, and continued to stare in a sort of trance, before he felt a cool hand close over his own. His eyes darted to the source of the hand, to be met with Neji's pale lilac eyes. Neji had seen it all as well.

They just stared at each other for a moment, eyes never breaking their contact, as they reached a silent understanding. They were winning this little battle with fate, and yet in the promise of victory they had begun to truly lose. The hand squeezed his slightly, before releasing completely. Neji turned over, facing away from Gaara.

If he had to lose, he was glad he had someone to fall to the bottom with.

* * *

**A/N: **Honestly, I've never written a sex scene or any acts that pertain to sex in vivid detail. Did I do alright? I'm a little nervous.


	7. A Conversation

Disclaimer: I own nothing…

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, I feel a lot more confident now. Ok, I know that this is supposed to be a Gaara/Neji fic, but please don't get discouraged. I am just focusing on Sasuke and Naruto now, so I can fully focus on Neji and Gaara later. So, don't worry Gaara/Neji fans, it will happen…eventually.

Anyways…

Special thanks to:

ImmaLickYou

kel

Yoruichi-Yoshi12

Black-Sky-Loves-Me

breaker

blacjacc

MayumiNorika

kugi ra-ra  
.  
Sakuramar

hide.behind.green.eyes

XCynicalX

yaoihentaiqueen

leesoca

You guys honestly keep this story going. A very special thanks to XCynicalX, because now I can't stop referring to myself as a Lemon Virgin. Heh, that hopefully wont last for long though.

TillThatTime

* * *

A Conversation

Sasuke awoke to his vision obstructed by a mass of blonde hair. It fell delicately into his squinting eyes and the soft strands brushed teasingly along his cheeks. His lips were pressed against the scalp of the boy that lay beside him, burrowed into his arms. The memories of the previous night were clear in his mind as he lay perfectly still for a few agonizing moments. Naruto had had a nightmare. He had pulled the other boy to him in order to stop the incessant thrashing and whimpering. 

He had protected Naruto the only way he knew how from the visions that haunted him in a place that Sasuke could not reach.

To hear those cries were unbearable, even to a cold hearted bastard such as himself.

He had acted on impulse.

Dammit.

He felt the other shift under him and he stiffened. He absolutely did not want to be caught in this situation. To him that would be far worse than if Naruto had merely caught him masturbating.

His breath caught when Naruto merely snuggled up closer against his chest, and the hands that had been resting idly now intertwined with Sasuke's own that were wrapped protectively around Naruto's mid section.

The light snoring that emitted from the blonde continued.

Sasuke hesitantly let out the breath he had been holding, noticing how it fluffed the blond hair before him.

Sasuke shifted his gaze to the other occupants who were in the room, only to register that they were absent. He almost sighed in relief, but then became fully aware of the fact that they had probably seen him snuggling against Naruto when they had left the tent earlier that morning.

Again, dammit.

Seeing no point in rushing out to meet the accusing eyes of Naruto's most obvious fan-boys, Sasuke allowed himself to lay in that warm position for a few more moments, watching as Naruto's breath came out even and deep, though he was not ready to admit his reluctance to leave the embrace.

Feeling that he could ignore it no longer, seeing as how Naruto could awaken at any moment to notice Sasuke's chest firmly pressed against his back, he began to carefully untangle himself from the sleeping shinobi. In his attempts his nose once again brushed against that mass of blonde hair and he unconsciously inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of Naruto lingering in his senses even after he had successful freed himself from the comforting entanglement.

As he stood, his eyes continued to linger on the other's sleeping form, paying attention to the fact that Naruto's body curled in on itself in the absence of Sasuke's own body heat.

Sasuke felt his heart clench.

Tearing his eyes away from the sight in what he assumed was annoyance, he stealthily made his way over to his bag in order to pull out some clean clothes. The first thing he pulled out was a vaguely familiar shirt, and it didn't take him long to see the smeared, dried remains of his submission to sexual frustration.

He grimaced and quickly stuffed the soiled material to the bottom of the bag, while pulling out a clean shirt and shorts. He quickly stood and began to dress for the day, never once noticing the pair of barely open cerulean eyes that followed his every move, or the present blush on those tanned, whiskered cheeks.

He stepped out into the warm morning air, his eyes directly jumping to the two figures that sat quietly chatting beside the calmly crackling fire.

Upon seeing his exit from the tent, both Gaara and Neji stopped in their conversation to look at the stoic Uchiha.

There was no morning greeting from either side.

As Sasuke looked them over, he noted that their expressions were as impassive as ever but there was no mistaking the look of knowing in either's eyes.

He merely glared in response to their seemingly innocent stares.

Fuckers.

"Not one damn word." He hissed threateningly to Gaara and Neji, before turning on heel and stomping off in the opposite direction.

* * *

They were already running behind schedule, and Neji and Gaara's frequent rest stops were not helping the matter. Sasuke had hopped that their little act would have ceased after the day before, but he was wrong. 

Oh, so wrong.

"I would like for us to stop so I can relieve myself." Gaara's serious voice cut through the comfortable silence that they had been traveling in for the last hour. His three other companions stopped dead in their tracks. Naruto gave Gaara a blank look, his blue eyes widened a fraction more than usual. Sasuke resumed his habitual ritual of eye twitching, and Neji had to hold back a snort, because Hyuuga Neji did not snort.

Gaara was asking them to stop…so he could take a piss. 

There was something very strange about this.

Now, it wasn't that they believed that Gaara didn't have a bladder, it was just that it was unexpected and slightly unnerving for someone like Subaku no Gaara, the Kazekage of Suna, to ask for a potty break. He seemed more likely to hold it until a more appropriate and private time.

Like perhaps when he got back to Suna.

"Don't you think that maybe you should have done that before we left?" Sasuke bit out, his irritation making itself clearly evident.

"Perhaps, Uchiha, but that does not change the fact of the current issue. So, if you don't mind-"

"I do mind." Sasuke growled, quickly becoming fed up with the act.

"Excuse me?" Gaara questioned, a hairless eyebrow raising.

"You heard me, Kazekage-sama. I don't know what it is that you and Hyuuga are trying to pull, but-"

"I'm not sure I know what you are talking about." Gaara's voice remained level as always, but Neji had to clench his teeth in order to keep from fidgeting. Naruto just seemed to look dumbfounded between the three. 

"Don't insult me or anyone else here by playing dumb." Sasuke seethed, his fist itching to connect with the Kazekage's pale face.

"You've got quite the temper, don't you, Uchiha? Perhaps that's why you're so keen on betraying the people around you." Gaara's voice had become noticeably icier while addressing the Uchiha.

That was enough to set Sasuke off. He lunged himself at the other boy, only to be blocked by Naruto's body, which he collided into.

They fell to the ground with a dull thud, the air quickly being knocked from both their bodies. All four boys remained frozen for a few moments, as Sasuke and Naruto tried to regain their breath. Sasuke stiffened even further when he felt Naruto shift until his smooth lips were against the shell of Sasuke's ear.

"Please, Sasuke, stop fighting." Naruto's voice was a whisper only meant for Sasuke to hear, but he could hear the plea clearly. He raised up slightly to look into that face that he knew so well, only to find Naruto's lip sliced open and blood flowing lightly.

It had probably happened sometime during the collision.

Sasuke, almost as if he didn't realize what he was doing, reached a trembling hand down to gently wipe away the trail of blood with his thumb, eyes staying connected to the blue ones below him. Naruto shivered slightly at the contact, and his eyes fluttered closed.

And just like that, the connection was broken. Sasuke blushed slightly and looked away.

Neji and Gaara just stared on in shock at the intimate interaction between the two boys.

Neji, who had been silent this entire time, was the first to break out of his trance and stepped forward to help the two fallen boys to their feet.

Naruto and Sasuke brushed themselves off quickly, refusing to make any eye contact. Sasuke looked towards his feet, his shoulders sagging slightly, before letting out a sigh.

"Alright, lets take a ten minute break and then we'll keep moving."

* * *

It was much to everyone's silent relief when they decided to stop for the night. The day had been spent in a uncomfortable and awkward atmosphere that had reached the point of being near smothering only with Naruto's desperate attempts at conversation to ease some of the tension. Neji and Gaara's unnecessary breaks had died down to the point of being almost nonexistent, but they were still further behind then they should have been after two days of traveling. Hell, they hadn't even reached the desert yet. 

Gaara and Neji were not really sure if their plan was actually working. Of course, there were these moments of interaction between the subjects of their matchmaking that seemed to be genuinely a progression forward, but when those would end, Naruto and Sasuke would just refuse to look each other in the eyes. Giving Gaara and Neji the feeling of taking a step forward only to take one back, and never really getting anywhere.

"Where are you going, Teme?" Naruto asked, looking up from the fire that he had previously been staring at intently, only to find Sasuke heading off into the woods.

"Nowhere special, dobe." Sasuke answered in his usual coldly dismissive tone, before continuing on into the seclusion of the trees.

Naruto mumbled a dejected "bastard", and Neji and Gaara just chose to keep to themselves.

They watched Naruto through the corner of their eyes as he continued to sit and fidget nervously, his eyes darting in the direction that the Uchiha had taken off in. It was obvious that Naruto desperately wanted to go after Sasuke, it was only a matter of his pride and better judgment that was keeping him from doing so.

After about half an hour of watching the little blonde in barely covered amusement, finally Neji decided to speak.

"Just go, Naruto." He told the twitching shinobi, trying to hide his smile as he watched Naruto jump automatically to his feet. Unlike the stubborn Uchiha, Uzumaki Naruto did not need to be told twice. He sprung off quickly in the direction that the older boy had taken.

As Naruto made his way through the mass of trees, he allowed his naturally heightened senses that he had honed over the years to lead him in the direction of the Uchiha's familiar scent.

He wanted to talk to the bastard. He was tired of having the obvious dangle in front of their noses without either of them doing anything about it. Well, that wasn't true. Naruto had tried many times to let the Uchiha know how he truly felt about him, but every time Sasuke would just push him away.

However, something told him that there was more than just disdain in those obsidian eyes, so if he had to beat the affection out of the stubborn jackass then he would do it.

He just wished that it would come easier than that, though.

But of course, nothing in Uzumaki Naruto's life had been particularly easy. He shouldn't expect any different this time around.

It didn't take him long to find Sasuke, sitting on the ground, close to a lake Naruto hadn't even known was there, and he held back in the bushes to watch the pondering Uchiha. Sasuke sat the same way that he had since the first time Naruto had met him. Knees spread, and elbows resting against them to prop up a pointed chin. Sasuke's eyes were closed in deep concentration, and not for the first time in his life, Naruto was reminded that some things never change. It was endearing and yet aggravating as hell all at the same time.

For awhile Naruto was content to just watch the other boy, finding that he could never get enough of looking at Sasuke. Even if he were to spend the rest of his life, as he hoped, beside the frigid prick, it would never be enough.

But Sasuke's sharp voice nearly made him jump.

"I know you're there, dobe."

* * *

"What do you think they are doing right now?" Neji suddenly asked, turning to face the pale boy sitting beside him. 

They had been idly chatting about really nothing of importance, finding that conversation came easier then normally when it was with each other. However, Sasuke and Naruto's lack of presence had begun to bother the Hyuuga Prodigy, until finally he blurted out what he had been wondering about.

"There are many scenarios that I can think of." Gaara admitted. "None of which are that pleasing to think about." He added as a sort of afterthought, and Neji couldn't help but smile, something that was increasing in occurrence while around the other boy.

"I wish I knew what they were doing." Neji stated, his mind shifting to scenarios that he was sure were running through Gaara's head as well. He grimaced.

"Well, why don't we go find out."

"What? Do you mean like spy?" Gaara just gave Neji a pointed look that silently answered his question. "I don't think that that would be very ethical." Neji scolded, his fingers picking at the material of his clothes.

"Since we've started this can anything we've done be considered ethical?" Gaara pointed out, his eyes never leaving Neji's as he inched forward, his hand coming to rest on top of Neji's own, halting the nervous jitters of the other boy.

Neji's gaze shot down to their connected hands and he felt a chill run throughout his body. He closed his eyes, attempting to shake away the feeling, before returning his stare back to those sea-green eyes.

"No, I suppose not." He agreed, his heart racing faster than normal. "Let's go."

And suddenly that hand was pulling him to his feet.

* * *

Naruto emerged from the bushes, a grin plastered on his face as he laughed nervously. "I just wanted to see what you were up to." 

"You don't have to fake your smiles around me." Sasuke told him, as if he hadn't even heard the other boy. Naruto's mask dropped immediately, his eyes falling to the ground as he made to sit by Sasuke. "So what do you want, baka?" Sasuke asked quietly, his face turned away from Naruto, his words being the only thing that proved that he registered the other boy at all.

"I wanted to talk, Sasuke." Naruto's voice was soft, not nearly as boisterous as it usually was, and there was a slight tremble to it that Sasuke had not missed.

"I don't think that there's anything to talk about." Sasuke said, hopping that Naruto would not press the issue.

But he knew Naruto better than anyone. It was a fool's hope.

"Why do you always do that, Sasuke!?" And suddenly Naruto was on his feet. He had never been the type to reel in his anger for long.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke knew that he was losing, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to try.

"That is what I'm talking about, bastard! Why are you always acting so guarded? Why do you keep pushing me away, Sasuke? Why can't you just let me in for once? Don't you think that you owe me that much?" Naruto's face had turned red from the anger, and his fists were now balled tightly by his sides.

Something in Naruto's words made him snap.

"Maybe I don't want to let you in, you little idiot! Maybe I would prefer for you to just stay the hell out of my life. I know in the past that's been hard for you, but can't you just fucking listen to what I want for once, Naruto?" Sasuke was on his feet as well, his hands tightly fisted in the material of Naruto's orange jacket. He saw the pain he felt mirrored in those blue depths, but he couldn't stop.

Because maybe if he hurt him enough, Naruto would actually listen.

"Sasuke-"

"No! I don't need you, Naruto." It was such a lie, such a pathetic lie, but it was the only one he could think of. He loosened his hold on the other's jacket until the fabric fell completely away from his fingers, and then he turned abruptly and began to walk away from his silent stunned.

"Why?" Naruto's broken voice stopped him directly in his tracks. "Then why would you hold me like that?"

Sasuke felt his heart stop, and he slowly turned to face the one person who would never let him become the failure that he already knew that he was. Naruto's face was blank, devoid of the emotion that he couldn't keep from his voice, but a tear rolled down one whiskered cheek, originating from those cold, shining eyes that haunted the dreams of so many others, and sure as hell haunted his own.

"What?" Sasuke could only beg anyone that was listening that he hadn't heard correctly.

"If you don't want me, Sasuke, why would you do something like that? You could have just hit me and told me to shut up, or better yet, rolled over and ignored me. So, why would you put your arms around me instead? How could you do something like that? Are you really that much of a sadistic bastard that you find it fun to toy with me like that?" Naruto's voice had completely cracked by the end, and Sasuke had to strain to hear him fully. It would have been so much easier if Naruto would have just screamed like he always did. Sasuke wasn't sure if he could handle the pieces of a broken sun.

"How-"

"Did you think that I didn't know? Do you think that I'm that dense that I wouldn't recognize someone's arms around me? Especially if it's yours? The funny thing about being deprived of something like that all of your life is that you sure learn to recognize it when it happens."

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke asked in completely defeat. There was nothing left to hide behind. Nothing left that he could say. At least nothing that he was willing to.

"Unlike me, Sasuke, you're not an idiot." Naruto had begun to make his way towards the Uchiha, and Sasuke felt he was too frozen to move. "Please, don't make yourself to be one by pretending that you don't already know."

And then warm lips were on his own, and for a moment Sasuke couldn't think. His second kiss, both claimed by Uzumaki Naruto. And then there were hands gripping his hair, and teeth tugging at his lip, and wetness against his cheeks. Were those Naruto's tears? God, he hoped they were not his own.

"Dammit, bastard, kiss me back." That was Naruto's voice growling against his skin, but those were his hands winding around a waist, and those were his arms bringing the other boy closer. His mouth parting to let a warm, wet tongue delve into him.

His tongue running along the invader, dancing to a song that they only knew the melody to.

Tasting Naruto.

Not putting a name to it, but knowing that only Naruto could taste this way. Knowing that he wanted to be the only one to ever experience this taste, and that thought made his hands grip at Naruto's sides a little tighter.

And that was Naruto's moan that fell from that delicious mouth and danced into his own.

And this was…this was…no!

This couldn't happen.

Not after all that work.

He pushed the other boy abruptly away, a little harsher than he had intended to.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden outburst. "Sasuke?" He was already reaching for the slightly trembling Uchiha, but Sasuke merely took a quick step back, away from those reaching tan hands and those pleading blue eyes.

"Don't touch me!"

"What?" Naruto's voice sounded completely at a loss.

"Just stay away from me, Naruto!" And suddenly he was leaving behind a very confused blonde as he disappeared into the trees.

Naruto stared in shock at the retreating back of the Uchiha, long after it had already disappeared from view.

He could still taste him on his lips.

He let out a strangled cry as he fell heavily to his knees, his hands coming up to his face, covering it from the accusing eyes that only he seemed to be able to see.

Neji and Gaara sat in the bushes completely still, both trying to fully comprehend what they had just seen. Gaara was clenching his fists so hard that blood was starting drip from his fingers from where his blunt nails were digging ruthlessly into his skin. It was Neji's turn to reach for Gaara's hand and gently uncurl his fingers.

"I don't know whether to hold you back from killing him, or ask you to do it for me." Gaara whispered honestly, truly showing his anger for the first time since this whole thing had started.

Though Neji's hands were gentle as they held Gaara's own, his eyes were full of barely hidden rage.

But his features quickly changed when he felt something familiar. It was the Uchiha's chakra. Apparently he may have left the area, but he had stuck around. Probably to watch over Naruto.

Neji's eyes traveled to Naruto, and though his face was hidden from view, Neji saw his shoulders shaking.

"Actually Gaara, I have a better idea."


	8. Convincing

**Disclaimer:** Don't own

**A/N:** Ugh, I am so sorry it took so long to update, but the holidays are crazy! Ok, I just wanted to say to you people out there. There will be a very graphic lemon in the next chapter and I have seen people's accounts be deleted because of content, and I have 26 other stories to think about. So, if you want to read it you can either read it on Adultfanfiction(dot)net or if you are too young for that or you just don't feel comfortable going there, you can Private Message me your email address and I will send the edited chapter to you, but please don't forget to review as well! Sorry for the trouble but that is just how it's gonna have to roll. By the way, I really really hope I am keeping everyone in character...

As always, a very special thanks to:

eclipses

Sen the Cat Lady

lL0tus

dieing all alone

Yoruichi-Yoshi12

yaoihentaiqueen

breaker

XCynicalX

Sakuramar

kel

Simply

leesoca

ImmaLickYou

kugi ra-ra

Black-Sky-Loves-Me

You guys are absolutely incredible!

P.S. All hail Hyuuga Neji!

* * *

**Convincing**

"Actually Gaara, I have a better idea." Neji interjected, eyes planted firmly on the trembling shoulders of his blonde haired friend before he stepped out from behind his bush and into the clearing.  
"Neji, what-?" Gaara watched as the long haired beauty made his way towards Naruto, throwing a glance back over his shoulder towards Gaara, indicating for him to follow. Gaara, wanting to know exactly what the Hyuuga was up to, stepped out as well. Naruto immediately heard the shuffling they made and whipped his head around to face them, not having time to wipe the wetness away from his cheeks. Neji felt his heart tighten at the sight, but clenched his jaw and continued to make his way towards the other boy.

"Naruto?" Neji questioned the stunned boy as he drew closer to him. "Are you alright?"

"Neji? What-what are you doing here...wait, Gaara too?" Naruto asked, noticing a shock of red hair behind the taller boy.

Neji continued to make his way over to Naruto cautiously, edging slowly closer as if approaching a frightened animal. Until finally he found himself standing beside him, looking down into a wide pair of shining azure eyes.

"Don't cry." He said softly, lowering himself to sit next to the other boy.

Naruto let out a very unconvincing snort. "I don't know what you're talking about, crying is for girls-" And yet even as he said this, more tears continued to race down his scarred cheeks. Neji reached out a hand, gently wiping away the wet trail.

"Don't cry, Naruto." As Neji continued to speak as comfortingly as he knew how, he began to once again search for the chakra presence that he knew was still lurking close by. It didn't take long to find it, and as Neji inconspicuously turned his eyes in the direction of the chakra, he knew without a doubt that Sasuke was watching every move he was making.

_That's right, keep watching, you little bastard_.

Neji looked up from his position on the ground to find Gaara standing directly on Naruto's other side, watching him. He gave the Kazekage a look, which he only hoped the ex-Jinchuuriki could interpret. Gaara, nodding his head so slightly that Neji wasn't even sure he had, plopped himself down on the other side of Naruto, a pale hand coming to rest on the trembling boy's shoulder.

"Whatever it is, Naruto, it's not worth this." Gaara told him, knowing full well what "it" was.

Naruto turned his attention away from Neji to face Gaara. He didn't even try to put up an act of ignorance. "You would think that. Hell, I should probably think that, but I'm an idiot and I always have been and no matter how many times I hear it's not worth it, I just want it more." Naruto whispered, his voice straining to not crack as he tried to keep some since of dignity in the face of two of his closest friends.

"But isn't it hurting you?" Neji threw in, keeping his voice loud enough so anyone who was listening would hear as well.

Naruto let out a bark of laughter at that. It was bitter and lacking of any warmth and Gaara's hand clenched tighter on the blonde's shoulder. "When has something not hurt in my life?" Neji and Gaara's eyes both widened in surprise at the blonde's comment. Naruto, no matter how bad things seemed to get, was never one to actually express that he was in pain. "When is it going to be enough, huh? I have always told myself that I was the underdog who was gonna be so badass someday that nobody would be able to deny it and all I needed to do was prove to everyone what I already knew about myself, but still, even after all that, in the end I just like the dog who has been kicked too many times. And fate, _fate_ that bitch… the only thing I want to have to finally prove that I've achieved one thing in my life that I felt that I could never have, and still…when is it going to be enough? When will fate finish tossing me around and just let me…let me…" Naruto trailed off, his shoulders sagging as his hands came up to cover his face, muffling the soft sobs that were now coming from the boy. He continued to cover his face with his hands, feeling as though they were something that he could hide behind as he muttered one last thing, not really caring if anyone was listening at all. "And in the end, if all that is left is for my heart to break, then the only thing I could ask for is that his heart breaks with mine."

Gaara and Neji continued to stare at the Jinchuuriki sitting between them, both at a loss for what to say. Until abruptly Neji wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, motioning for Gaara to do the same, which he did somewhat awkwardly, until Naruto was cocooned tightly between them, his breathing ragged as he continued to cry and show two of the strongest shinobis what it looked like when the strongest person in their eyes, broke.

As Neji held Naruto, he once again felt for the Uchiha's chakra, not surprised when the chakra that the boy was emitting went from unsettled and upset to down right murderous as he watched the two people that he was quickly growing to hate the most hold and comfort the boy that he cared for the most.

Neji made eye contact with Gaara over Naruto's slumped shoulders and despite the current situation, he couldn't help the slight smirk that graced his lips

Gaara got the hint of what he was smiling about immediately and mouthed something that very well could have been "Jealous bastard", before he turned his attention back to the boy in his arms.

They continued to sit like that for several moments, their hands idly running through blonde hair, Neji marveling at how soft it was and Gaara just marveling at what it was like to actually hold someone. It was a new experience, and if it weren't for the fact that he was holding the boy he loved while said boy cried over the boy he wanted to disembowel, it would have been quite a pleasant experience.

It was a while before they felt Naruto shift in their arms, finally emerging from his huddle to look at them with a sniffling nose and a slight blush on his whiskered cheeks.

"Um, thanks, guys, I don't know what came over me." He said, his arm raising awkwardly in the midst of the other boy's arms as he scratched the back of his head in a familiar nervous gesture.

"It's not a problem, Naruto." Gaara assured in his normal, nonchalant tone.  
"Well, still thank you, but at the risk of sounding even more like a chick, would you mind if I spent some time by myself?" He asked, afraid that he was being rude to the two people who had just seen him in a state that he had never shown anyone.

"That's fine." Neji said as he and Gaara both rose simultaneously, untangling themselves from the blonde. Naruto flashed them his widest grin, one that they knew well… well enough to know it was fake. "Thanks guys…and don't tell anyone about this, especially the Teme, ok? I don't want him thinking that I'm a wimp and that his prissy ass would actually be able to beat me." Naruto told them with a forced laugh, though it was clear what he was really asking for.

"We wont tell him." Neji promised before throwing a glance in the direction of the area Sasuke was in, meaning for the Uchiha to see him.

"If you need anything, Naruto, just ask. We're your friends." Gaara told him, his voice uncharacteristically holding some warmth.

"I will." Naruto promised, and they both knew that is was a lie. They turned around, leaving the blonde to himself, as they headed back towards their current residence. Neji's eyes sought out Gaara's as they headed deeper into the woods.

"Now, to beat the Uchiha back to camp."

* * *

Sasuke made his way slowly back to the campsite, Naruto's words ringing freshly in his ears. How could he hurt him like that? Further more, how could he make him cry? How many times had Naruto cried because of him? He didn't really want to think about any of the answers to the questions that his mind was currently screaming at him. Each of them were met with an 'I had to do it.' or 'it doesn't concern me what he does' and each time those answers became more desperate and pathetic until all that was left was sickness and that feeling of self loathing that he had grown so accustomed to over the years.

He didn't want to hurt him. In fact, he pushed him away, hurting him slightly with harsh words and cold gestures, only to keep from truly hurting him in the end. He squished the affection now because he knew that he would only end up fucking everything up when it was over. Naruto didn't deserve someone like him. It was strange to think that the dobe who he had publicly looked down upon for so many years would be someone who was so much greater than the prodigy Uchiha, and spectacular and wonderful and every other sense of the word that would never truly do him justice, but it was true.

And what should be untouchable and stored safely away from his filthy hands and soul, was actually given to him so freely and so desperately and...he couldn't let him do it. He couldn't let Naruto love him, because if there was one thing that he had learned over the years it was that Uchihas were not meant to love. They were meant to kill and manipulate and destroy, and he knew that if he let Naruto love him, then those things that were truly meant for Uchihas would corrupt the one thing that Sasuke wanted desperately to keep pure.

Sasuke was too dirty to be seen and loved by those azure eyes.

And he knew it.

So that's why...that's why...

He had to make him cry.

Still, seeing those two asswipes with their arms around Naruto was unbearable! Just because he couldn't love Naruto the way that he wanted to, that didn't mean that he wanted to see other people touching him. Especially them!

He came to a halt in his thoughts when he realized that he was already back to the camp. He began to make his way over to the tent, eager to go to sleep and perhaps forget about things for awhile. However, as soon as his hand reached for the flap he found himself face to face with two shinobi that he really did not want to see right now.

"Uchiha." Neji's voice greeted him coldly, his features set in stone, only his pupiless eyes giving any indication of the detest that he felt for the boy standing before him.

"Move." Sasuke spat at them, in no mood to deal with a confrontation at this point.

"No, I don't think we will be listening to your request." It was Gaara who spoke this time, a hint of a smirk pulling at his full lips as he stared the Uchiha directly in the eye.

"It wasn't a request." Sasuke said lowly, his fists already beginning to clench at his sides. "Move, or I'll make you move."

"Both of us?" Neji asked, an eyebrow quirking slightly.

"Both of you." Sasuke confirmed.

"Well, we have to give you credit for your confidence, Uchiha, but somehow we're having a difficult time believing that you could easily take down one of us, let alone both, so forgive us for not trembling in fear in front of the Almighty Uchiha" Neji took a step closer to the slightly shorter boy, an eerily pleasant smile crossing his lips. "Now, if you don't mind, we would like to have a talk with you."

"I'm not talking about anything with you two." Sasuke hissed, his arms coming to cross almost childishly across his chest.

"Don't make us tie you down, Uchiha." Gaara threatened, already stepping closer to the raven haired youth.

"Especially since with the way we currently feel about you it wouldn't take much convincing on your part for us to do so." Neji added, the smile still uncharacteristically gracing his features.

"What the hell do you want?" Sasuke asked, his exasperation showing. He wasn't intimidated by the other two, even if he probably couldn't take them both down, but this was getting ridiculously annoying.

"We just want to talk." Gaara assured him, gesturing with his eyes to the stumps of logs that were placed by the fire.

"Fine." He breathed out, making his way over to the fire and having a seat. All he had to do was listen to whatever the hell they wanted to talk about. It wasn't that big of a deal and if he wanted he could always just lie about the answers anyways.

"So, Uchiha, why did you push him away when he kissed you?" Gaara asked, taking a seat across from the youngest Uchiha while Neji did the same. Well, they weren't wasting any time.

"I really don't see why that's any of your business, especially since you pass your time by spying on things that are not meant for your prying eyes." Was Sasuke's even response.

"You might be right. However, it would be in your best interest if you would just answer the question." Gaara told, hinting obviously at what the true meaning of his words were.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Why yes, Uchiha, because you make it oh-so-easy to do so. So really, why would you push him away?" Gaara questioned again, unfazed by the glare he was currently receiving.

Sasuke let out a huff, rolling his eyes at the question. "I don't want that idiot kissing me. I couldn't really give a shit what he does, as long as it doesn't involve me."

"I'm finding that hard to believe with how jealous you got back there in the forest, ne Uchiha?" Gaara's lips twitched slightly upwards as he said this.

"I was not jealous. I couldn't care what he does with the two of you, because unlike the both of you I stay out of things that aren't my business." Sasuke's voice was flat and unwavering in his answer.

"Ah, you are such a convincing little liar, Uchiha." Neji said, deciding to join back into the conversation. "But that doesn't change the fact that you _are_ lying. In fact, I think it drives you absolutely _insane_ to see someone else touch him. Furthermore, I think you like it very much when his lips are on yours. I think it's the thing that you wish for the most in your pathetic excuse for a life. I'd even be willing to bet that it was the image of that _idiot_ that had you jerking off in our tent last night." Sasuke let out a slight gasp at this, his eyes averting quickly to the ground. A blush had formed on Neji's pale cheeks even as he spoke those words, but he continued to press forward. "So you don't mind if we touch him? So you wouldn't mind if I placed my lips right over the place where yours had been? You wouldn't mind if Gaara stripped every last piece of clothing from him? You wouldn't mind if we pushed him into the ground, and got dirt on that tan skin of his? What about if we put our hands on places that you've only seen in quick glances at the hot springs? Ran our tongues over places you've only dreamed about? What if we spread those legs and just-"

"Shut Up!" And suddenly Neji was face to face with the violent red eyes of the Sharingan, a kunai pressed snugly against his neck. "Just shut up..." Sasuke rasped out, his breathing hard as he fought for what little control he still had left.

Neji stood perfectly still, his breathing even and his face relaxed, even as Gaara stood beside him, ready to take out the angry Uchiha if need be. "Oh, did I hit a nerve, Uchiha? Come now, try again to convince me that he means nothing to you." Neji said softly, his lilac eyes staring fearlessly into the dangerous eyes of the Uchiha Kekkei Genkai.

Sasuke continued to glare at Neji for a few more moments, his conflicting emotions obviously reflected in his eyes, until finally he let out a shaky breath and stepped away from Neji. He walked back over to the log he had previously been occupying and sat down, his shoulders slumping and his hair falling to cover his eyes. "You're almost as stubborn as he is." He whispered shakily. "Why don't you all just leave me alone?"

"Because he loves you too much to do that." Gaara said, his eyes focusing on the way Sasuke's body was shaking slightly.

"And we love him too much to do that." Neji spoke, sitting down once more.

"But can't you all see how much better off he would be without me?" Neji and Gaara were surprised to hear Uchiha Sasuke finally speaking the truth.

"Of course we can, but the only thing that matters is what he sees." Neji told him.

"I'm not good enough for him." Sasuke insisted, shaking his head back and forth, his bangs swaying along with the motion.

"Look around, Uchiha, no one is. But who he chose it not going to change, and if there was a chance that it would, don't you think that Gaara and I would have jumped at the opportunity, despite knowing full well that we are nothing compared to him?"

"I'll only end up hurting him."

"Oh wake up, you bastard! What the hell do you think you've already done to him? I have _never_ seen him as close to giving up as he was tonight, and that is your fault! You don't want to hurt him, you say? Well then _stop_ hurting him! It's a simple as that!"

"No, it isn't."

"You're the one who's keeping it from being that way!" Neji's voice had raised considerably by this point.

"Don't you think I know that!" Sasuke was suddenly to his feet once more, his voice rivaling Neji's own. "Don't you think that I know that I am the only thing that's keeping Naruto away from me?"

"So, then what's the real excuse here?" Gaara asked, knowing there had to be something more to it.

Sasuke suddenly looked away, wondering how he could have ever gotten himself into this situation. "I...I don't want to lose him." He said quietly, hoping that they really hadn't heard him.

"What?" Neji said, the confusion showing on his face.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "I said, I don't want to lose him."

"That doesn't make much sense, Uchiha." Gaara said, waiting for Sasuke to explain himself.

"It does if you've already lost everything once. I lost my entire family in one night because of my brother, and I lost my brother right along with them. Everything that I loved in the world was ripped away from me. Now Naruto...someone to love once more. How can you ask me to do it? What if something happens to him? What if I can't protect him one day or more like, what if he doesn't let me, and I lose him too? I don't know if I'd be able to handle it this time." Sasuke finished, his voice low. It was a rarity to see the Uchiha actually express a feeling other than anger and Neji and Gaara just sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating the words they had just heard.

"Baka." Neji suddenly whispered under his breath, breaking the silence.

"Excuse me?"

"You are such an unbelievable idiot!" Neji was suddenly to his feet once more, absolutely seething. "So what, would you rather of not had them at all? Would you have rather spent the majority of your childhood not knowing what it felt like to truly be cared for and loved? Yeah, you may have had loved ripped away from you, but Naruto never had it all!" As Neji said those words, he noticed the way that Gaara's eyes diverted to the ground. Those words hit home for him. Neji very subtly slipped his hand next to Gaara's running the tips of his fingers gently over the back of Gaara's hand, hoping that the gesture was as comforting as he meant it to be and also hoping that the Uchiha did not notice, before he turned his attention back to Sasuke, feeling Gaara's eyes suddenly upon him as well. "How can we ask you to do it, you say? Listen you selfish bastard, How can _you_ deny Naruto his chance to know what it feels like to love someone and to have it returned back to him?"

"But, I-"

"He loves you, and you love him. There is _nothing _difficult to understand about that. There is nothing left to figure out. So, for once in your life, Uchiha Sasuke, stop whining about your own fucking problems, get up off your ass, and go give him what others would die to, or I swear, I will face the wrath of the Hokage, Konoha, and Uzumaki Naruto himself, if I have to, but I _will_ kill you." Neji finished, breathing hard, but leaving no room to believe that he didn't mean every word that he said.

Uchiha Sasuke stared in disbelief at Neji, those words ringing clearly in his ears. And then instantly he was to his feet, and one nod of the head later, he was racing off into the tree,s in the same direction of a certain blonde haired Jinchuuriki.

Neji and Gaara watched as Sasuke ran off, before Neji slumped down right next to Gaara, letting out a long sigh. "I hope that worked."

"I'm sure it did." Gaara answered in his ever emotionless tone.

"It was easier than I thought it would be." Neji admitted a smile coming to his face that held a certain bit of sadness. "But it doesn't hurt any less than I thought it would."

"No, I suppose not." Gaara agreed, before reaching to slip his hand into Neji's own "Arigato, Neji."

Neji didn't ask what he was being thanked for, nor did he jump in surprise at Gaara's gesture. He only squeezed the hand that he held in his own tighter.

* * *

Sasuke found Naruto sitting in virtually the some spot that he had left him in. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried between them, and in all his life, Sasuke thought he had never seen Naruto look more vulnerable.

"Naruto." He called out quietly, surprised with how sturdy his voice actually sounded when he felt like he was going to vomit at any moment.

Naruto raised his head up sharply before jerking it towards Sasuke. A look of surprise was clear in those vibrant blue eyes. "Sasuke...you came back."

Sasuke could only nod at this as he settled down in front of the other boy.

"Why?" Naruto asked in a soft voice, as if he were afraid of the answer.

"I guess it was to save you the trouble of bringing me back like you always do." Sasuke tried to joke to relieve some of the nervousness he was feeling, but he stopped when he saw Naruto's expression.

"You mean against your will?" Naruto's voice was bitter as he tightened his hold around his legs.

Sasuke slowly shook his head. "No, not this time."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at this, his mouth opening slightly in disbelief. "Sasuke..."

"Forgive me...I don't know what to say...just please..." Sasuke seemed lost as he tried to finally say what he had so desperately tried to oppress.

"Then let me." Naruto cut in, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "Listen to me, Sasuke, and please don't run away this time...You piss me off _so_ much. There are so many things about you that just make me want to punch you as hard as I can. I hate the way you usually only answer with one word. I hate that you're so emotionally retarded that you make Sai almost seem normal. And I especially hate the way you find it so easy to hurt me more than anybody else ever could. But even then it will always be you. I will always come back to you, because everything that I have ever wanted in my life, every goal that I have ever set up for myself to achieve, is nothing, means _nothing_, if I can't have you.

"Dobe..." Sasuke reached out a shaking hand to cup Naruto's tanned cheek. "Naruto...kiss me."

Naruto let a grin spread over his face, a real one. "I thought you'd never ask, Teme." He breathed before leaning in to place his lips against Sasuke's own.


	9. Do You Want Me?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or it's characters

**A/N:** College exams suck! **READ THIS A/N IF YOU WANT THE SEX!** Ok, anyways, here is the brand-new smut-filled chapter. However, the one on fanfiction(dot)net is an edited version. So, if you want to read the unedited version, go to my profile and click on the link to my LiveJournal and read it there and if that doesn't work, you can read it on Adultfanfiction(dot)net, but if you are too young for that site, send me an email with your email and I'll send the chapter to you. Also, after you're done reading please review, because this is my first lemon and I am very nervous and would like to know what you guys think of it alright? Oh, no Neji and Gaara in this chapter, but after this chapter we can focus fully on them, so hoorah! Thank you to all my reviews, I will acknowledge you all individually in the next chapter. Enjoy!

TillThatTime

**Do You Want me?**

Sasuke's heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as he disconnected his lips from Naruto's, his face turning as he attempted to hide the blush that he could feel on his cheeks.

"Well damn, bastard, I think the great Uchiha Sasuke's blushing." Came Naruto's giggled declaration, and Sasuke forced his head even further away from the blonde.

"Shut up, Naruto." He grumbled, failing miserably to hide his embarrassment.

Suddenly he felt warms hands upon his cheeks, turning Sasuke's face to stare directly into bright blue eyes, all traces of teasing gone from their depths. "Ne, Sasuke, don't turn away from me. I want to see you." And with that, lips came to press against his forehead and then along his temple, followed by his pale cheeks, until finally coming rest against slightly parted lips. "All of you." He breathed against Sasuke's lips, his eyes closing, cutting Sasuke's own off from their intensity. "I've seen a lot worse from you Sasuke then a blush, and if those things didn't make me look down on you then nothing will. So please, don't hide. Not anymore."

Then those lips were pressed fully to his again, pulling teasingly against his own lips as he felt the glide of Naruto's tongue against his skin. His mouth opened instantly to the assault as he felt the wet appendage trace teasingly along his own, inexperienced and almost hesitant, but good, so amazingly good. He groaned against the contact as one hand came to cup Naruto's cheek as the other slid around his slim waist, effectively pulling him closer.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered against his lips, effectively awakening him from his dobe-induced trance.

"What is it?" He asked, trying to keep the disappointment from being stopped so suddenly out of his voice.

"Why did you leave before?" There was an insecurity in the blonde's voice that was unmistakable and Sasuke had to take a breath before deciding to speak, figuring that he had already spilled his guts earlier so it would not hurt to do the same for someone who actually meant something to him.

"I didn't want to have you just so I could lose you later on. I don't want to go through something like that." He admitted truthfully, though his eyes refused to meet the ones that were currently boring down on him. Naruto stayed silent for a moment, pondering the words that Sasuke had just spoken. The last time Sasuke had said something so truthfully it had been at the Valley of the End and that had not ended well for either of them. However, this time Naruto was determined to make sure things would end differently.

"Why in the hell do people call you a genius when your such a fucking dumbass?" Sasuke's head shot to Naruto as he heard the irritation in the blonde's voice. He was actually getting pretty tired of people calling him an idiot today, no matter how fitting the term might be. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto was on his feet, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke's face, an incredulous look marring his face almost comically.

"Naruto-"

"No, shut the hell up for a damn second, bastard! So you're telling me that all this time you've been pushing me away it's because of a reason like that?" Naruto let out an undignified screech as he continued to rant.

"Yes, but-"

Naruto's hand connected with the side of the Uchiha's head as he smacked him. "Baka! I should kick your sorry ass right now!"

"Ow, fuck, Naruto-"

"I'm not done yet! Out of all the stupid things that you've done Sasuke, this…this…" and suddenly Naruto was grabbing him roughly by the collar and hauling him none too gently to his feet. Sasuke prepared himself for the blow that he was sure was about to come, but could only gasp as he felt Naruto's lips crash against his once more. The kiss was short, simple and rough, but it really seemed to get the message across.

"Now listen closely, Teme. We're shinobi, and because of that there is always going to be a good chance that there will come a day where one or both of us dies." And this time when Naruto's lips connected to his, it was gentle. A tender contact as Naruto's hands come to cup Sasuke's cheeks. "But that is not going to happen tonight, and in the end, isn't that enough?"

Sasuke let those words wash over him, even as those blue eyes continued to look at him, waiting for an answer. Though a part of him screamed that a lifetime with Naruto wouldn't be enough, there was still that side that knew that he'd rather have this one night with Naruto than to never have it all. He nodded slowly, not trusting himself to speak as he pulled the other boy into an embrace, reveling in the fact that he had spent so long refusing to touch him and now, in this moment, he couldn't seem to keep his hands off of him.

The feel of Naruto's body pressed so tightly against his was a totally new experience to him. He could feel every curve that Naruto had, even through the layers of clothing that he and the blonde wore. He heard Naruto's soft groan as his tongue flicked across the roof of the blonde's mouth before beckoning the other boys tongue into his own mouth and sucking on it quite suggestively, and the sweet noise went straight to his groin. It took Sasuke a second to realize that he was getting hard but once he did he tried to pull himself away from Naruto, as not to alert him of his growing problem.

Feeling Sasuke beginning to move away from him, Naruto's hands latched onto Sasuke's hips, and with a growl he pulled them against his own, causing Sasuke to emit a gasp as his erection was met with Naruto's own hardness. Naruto leaned in until his lips were brushing against the shell of Sasuke's ear. "You're not going anywhere, Teme." He breathed hotly against Sasuke's sensitive skin, before playfully running his tongue along the lobe and sucking it briefly into his mouth, enjoying the soft moans that Sasuke was failing to suppress. "Now tell me, Sasuke, and be truthful with me." He paused for a second to grind his hips subtly against Sasuke's. "Do you want me?"

"Yes." Sasuke hissed out, surprising not only Naruto but himself as well with his lack of hesitation. Both had thought that he would be too stubborn to admit something so intimate without a little bit more coaxing, but Naruto's hips pressing snugly against his own were cutting out any modesty the Uchiha might have had.

"Good, because that's what I have to give you." Naruto stated before grabbing the Uchiha's hands and pressing them promptly against his ass. Sasuke couldn't help but gawk at the forwardness the blonde was displaying, but he really shouldn't have been surprised, it was Naruto after all. Yet even with his surprise, he did not remove his hands from there current position.

"Are you sure? I mean…is this moving too fast?" Sasuke paused to look around the clearing they were in. "Don't you want somewhere more…special?" At that moment Uchiha Sasuke could have kicked his own ass for sounding like such a girl, and it only seemed to fuel his embarrassment as Naruto let out a particularly loud snort.

"That was painful to listen to, I can't imagine what it must have been like to say it." Naruto said in between his laughter as he let go of Sasuke in order to clutch his own stomach.

Sasuke scowled at the other boy, his stubbornness coming back full force as he turned on heel and attempted to walk away, but he was stopped by a hand on his wrist and he suddenly felt himself being spun back into place to face Uzumaki Naruto, who was doing a damn good job of keeping his laughter in. "Didn't I tell you that you're not going anywhere?" He scolded, once more pulling Sasuke close to him as he leaned his forehead against Sasuke's own. "Now, to answer your questions, I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life, and there is no way this could be too fast. We've dance around each other for how many years? Call it the five year build up, and…just so you don't feel left out with that sissy comment you just made, I could be in hell itself and it would still be special if I am with you." Naruto assured him with a shit-eating grin, but with a certain sincerity nevertheless. Naruto reached his hand up to brush Sasuke's black bangs away from his pale face, letting the hand linger to rest against his cheek, his grin disappearing once more. "Don't make me wait anymore. Please Sasuke-"

It was Naruto's turn to be cut off as he gave an undignified squeak as Sasuke's hands latched once more onto his backside, thrusting Naruto's hips against his own, relishing in the moans that were emitted from both of them at the contact. "Do you want me to fuck you?" Sasuke asked bluntly, his lips mere inches from Naruto's, the lust clearly evident in his obsidian eyes. "Is that what you want?"

Sasuke's face showed pure confusion as Naruto pulled away, shaking his head. "No, Sasuke." He said quietly, and Sasuke felt his heart plummet to his feet. "If I wanted a simple fuck I could just pay for a whore. So, no, that's not what I want from you Sasuke." He grabbed onto one of Sasuke's hands and brought it to his lips, speaking against the smooth skin. "What I want from you Sasuke, is to make love to me. To prove to me that I mean more to you than just a simple fuck. Can you do that for me, Sasuke?" It was Naruto's turn to blush even though his voice never wavered through his confession.

Sasuke's answer was to wrap his fingers around the back of Naruto's neck and pull the blonde's lips tenderly against his own and he only held on tighter as he felt Naruto's smile against his lips.

**(Warning: Lemon has been edited out! Read the directions above to figure out how to read it!) **


	10. Fire Conversations

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.

A/N: Alright, I know that it's been awhile and the chapter is disgustingly short, but the holidays were rough so I ask you to forgive me this time alright? However I feel now I can get back into the swing of things and start producing quicker and longer chapters...plus, it's Gaara/Neji time and I know your excited. Thank you to all my wonderful reviews, I will be thanking you all individually in the next chapter.

* * *

**Fire Conversations**

He woke sometime in the night, the cool air brushing over his skin and making him nuzzle further into the warm skin that surrounded him. His eyes cracked open reluctantly as he felt the blonde in his arms shiver slightly. Feeling that he better do something about it before the idiot froze to death, as gently as possible he untangled himself from the other boy, trying not to wake him. As he moved to sit up, he cringed at the sticky feeling of his skin, promising to himself that as soon as morning came around he was going drag himself and his dobe into the lake to wash up.

Speaking of his dobe… he turned his eyes to gaze fully at the beauty that was still laying on the ground, eyes closed in a deep slumber. He drank in the sight of the blonde's naked body and felt a blush rise on his cheeks, which was followed by him promptly scolding himself. After all they had done, he still had any modesty left in himself to blush?

And they had done a lot…a whole hell of a lot. His tongue peeked out to lick at his lips, which had become dry at the memory of the thrusting in and out of that tight body. Naruto had given everything to him, and in turn he had given just as much, and he knew that he probably should be panicking right now, but there was not enough fight and stubbornness left in him to care. There was no taking it back, and in all honesty, he really didn't want to anyways.

Naruto shivered once more beside him, "Sasuke" passing sweetly from his lips as he mumbled in his sleep. Sasuke was pulled from his thoughts as he heard his name come from those pretty lips and he let a rare smile grace his features as he turned his attention back to the task at hand. After all, sleeping naked on the forest floor was not the best idea.

He noticed Naruto's orange jacket laying discarded nearby and he reached to retrieve it, cringing at the color as he moved to place it over both his and Naruto's body, letting his mind stubbornly look over the fact that he placed it over Naruto's more. Once both of them were slightly covered he pulled the shinobi to him once more, burying his nose into the pile of blonde hair that he loved so much.

"Dobe…" He mumbled sleepily, as Naruto snored softly against the skin of his neck and he could have sworn that he heard a responded "Teme" as Naruto snuggled up even further into his arms. It was so sickeningly sweet that he could have scowled, and he swore that he would do so…in the morning…if he remembered.

The last thought that he had before falling asleep once more was, _Dear God, I hope those two nosy bastards didn't watch._

* * *

They sat silently by the fire as they had been prone to doing these past couple of days. It wasn't necessarily an awkward silence as both set of eyes focused on the crackling of the flames, but more one of uneasy understanding.

They were grateful for having each other's company because it meant not being along, but still, they were both fully aware of what was currently occurring and neither were that keen on speaking about it. So they sat in a not-so-awkward-yet-somehow-still-uncomfortable silence…yeah, that was good way of describing it.

"So, should we go looking for them…they've been gone for quite awhile." Neji said quietly, being the first to break the silence, as he often did when it came to him and the Kazekage.

"What, and disturb them while they're fucking?" Gaara deadpanned, turning to face the long haired boy and waiting patiently for the reaction that the comment was sure to get.

Neji blinked for a few seconds, before turning a deep shade of red and sputtering incoherently for another few passing seconds. Gaara watched the display in mild amusement, having a feeling that this was not a side of the other shinobi that people got to see often. In fact, he wondered briefly if he was the only one who could pull this type of reaction from the Hyuuga. He smirked inwardly, the thought was strangely pleasing.

Neji recovered quickly from his embarrassment, setting a daring glare towards the Kazekage. Of course he had known that Naruto and the Prick were probably screwing like rabbits by now, but for god's sake, did Gaara have to be so blunt about everything? Something told Neji that yes, yes he did, and that he really shouldn't be surprised by the Kazekage's forwardness by this point.

"I was only worried because they've been gone so long, but thank you, Gaara, for putting my mind at ease." Neji grumbled sarcastically, eyes narrowing as he saw Gaara look on him with that familiar amusement in his eyes.

"Or is it perhaps that you wanted to have a look? I knew that you liked to watch, Neji, but I had no idea that you were this much of a hentai." Gaara shot back smoothly.

Alright he was just asking for it now.

What an asshole.

"Dammit Gaara." Neji began angrily but stopped when he felt a cold hand atop his own. He looked down at the new presence to find that it did indeed belong to the boy sitting beside him and he squeezed it in a familiar gesture that he was somehow used to by now, his anger fading away quickly. Neither of them talked about the fact that they found it so easy to hold hands with one another, or that it was a strange occurrence in the first place. Neither was used to any type of physical contact that wasn't meant to be damaging, and both knew that it felt good so they did it without so much as a thought to its meaning. It was comforting, everything else didn't have to make sense next to that. "You're still a bastard…" Neji mumbled half-heartedly.

"Always." Gaara agreed and Neji felt himself smiling, something that came easily when around the unnerving Kazekage.

"Does it bother you?" Neji asked, knowing that he didn't have to further explain to Gaara that he was talking about what Naruto and Sasuke were most likely doing at this very moment.

"Of course it does." Gaara answered truthfully without the slightest hesitation. "Despite popular belief I am human, and a part of me wonders what it would feel like to break the Uchiha's neck." Neji watched as a sadistic gleam flashed in Gaara's teal eyes and Neji had to hold back his own delightful image of dismembering the Uchiha as Gaara continued on. "But we knew what we were getting into when we started this, and if Naruto's happy then I'm…" Gaara trailed off there.

"Satisfied enough to pretend to be happy…or in your case, non-homicidal?" Neji threw out, only half joking.

"I guess that's an appropriate way of putting it. How do you feel, Neji?"

"The same…only with slight variations in what I want to do to that smug idiot." Neji told him, allowing a smirk to show on his face.

"Sounds interesting…perhaps we should discuss methods sometime." Gaara suggested, and Neji could not even begin to tell if he was joking or not.

"That's slightly morbid, Gaara" Neji stated, his face just as blank as Gaara's own.

"It makes me feel better."

And Neji couldn't help but laugh.

"It's nice." Gaara said, still looking at him.

"What is?" Neji questioned, knowing that they sure as hell weren't talking about Naruto and Sasuke having sex anymore.

"Your laugh." Gaara concluded as nonchalant as ever.

"Oh." Neji felt his cheeks reddening and cursed silently at himself, trying to hide his embarrassment from the very observant Kage. "Are you tired, Gaara?" Neji asked, ready to take the heat off of himself. At that question Gaara just gave him a pointed look. "Oh, right…would you like to go to bed anyways?" He asked, feeling his own eyelids droop slightly. Gaara only nodded as he stood up and headed towards the tent, leaving Neji to follow behind him.

Neji settled onto his previously laid out bedroll and rolled over onto his side as he felt Gaara do the same. It was only when he felt surprisingly gentle hands wrap around his middle did he give a startled yelp that he would deny vehemently later on.

"Gaara?" He questioned hesitantly and he shivered slightly as he felt Gaara's warm breath dance along the back of his neck.

"I…just wanted to know what it would feel like." Came Gaara's low voice against his ears, as smooth an calm as ever, and then, "It hurts." Perhaps it was the slight quiver in the other boy's voice or the fact that there was more emotion in those two words then Neji had ever heard coming from the red headed boy, but Neji felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, one that he had not felt in a long time, and as he blinked what he deduced to be tears away, refusing to cry because he was a fucking grown man, he pressed back against those arms around him, lacing his fingers once more with Gaara's and closed his eyes against reality.

"I know."


	11. The Favor

**Disclaimer:** Don't own.

**A/N: **I really am trying desperately hard to keep them in character. Also, thank you for not griping too much about the length of the last chapter. I've been having a really hard past few months. Anyways, pity party over, on to the reviews.

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* * *

**A Favor**

He woke up to the feeling of warmth surrounding him.

His eyes opened reluctantly to face the light that signaled that morning had come, shining brightly through the small opening in the tent. It was an odd experience for Neji to wake up feeling so utterly comfortable that actually getting up was almost regretful. Usually he woke before the sun rose after a light sleep that only a shinobi could find fulfilling. However, this morning, he felt as if he had slept soundly and comfortably for hours, which he most likely had.

He squinted slightly as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness and he nearly let out a very unbecoming squeak when he realized the reason for the comforting warmness. The first thing he noticed was a pale hand intertwined with his own resting lightly against his stomach. The next thing that registered was the warm breath puffing evenly on the back of his neck.

Gaara…

He remember now the night before when Gaara had admitted, if only to Neji, that he hurt more then his stoic persona let on. He also remembered that the boy had wrapped his arms around him in order to finally feel what it was like to hold someone, even if it really didn't mean as much in the end.

He smiled softly when he realized that this position, which in most cases he would have found infinitely uncomfortable, was actually very nice…yes, that was a good word for it. Nice.

So this is what it felt like? This is what it felt like to be perfectly capable of protecting yourself and yet even then, when wrapped up in strong arms having the feeling of being so vulnerable and safe at the same time? This is what Naruto and Sasuke felt?

He was pulled gently from his thoughts when the pale hand that was entwined with his own carefully dislodged itself from his fingers and began a soothing caress against his stomach. Back and forth, up and down, never putting more than a ghost of pressure yet enough for Neji to let out a small sigh and for his eyes to flutter shut. He leaned back more fully into the warm chest pressed against his back and focused his attention on the hand that made such simple and profound movements against the material of his clothes, searing its way right onto his skin.

This too was nice. The hand was so gentle and sincere that for once Neji felt as if he truly had what Naruto and Sasuke shared. That sense of not only feeling love but feeling that love reciprocated.

Yes, nice indeed.

However, it took Neji a second to realize that if Gaara's hand was caressing his stomach then the rest of Gaara was surely awake as well.

His eyes widened a fraction and he turned over slowly in those arms. He let his eyes travel up to the face of his companion and he was shocked to see what he found there.

Gaara was still very much asleep.

Neji could only remember one other time of seeing the Kazekage like this…when he had been dead. At the time he hadn't known Gaara very well, nor had he truly cared to. The only worry he had felt had been when he had seen Naruto so upset over the assumed loss of his friend. Yet even then, even when his opinion of the other boy was poisoned by the memories of the monster he had been during the chuunin exam, he couldn't help but think Gaara had a sort of ethereal beauty about him. As he had laid still on the unforgiving ground, his face relaxed, his eyes closed, his breathing stopped along with his heart, Neji could have sworn that there was a sense of calmness about him that had not been there before. That though Sabaku no Gaara only wore an emotionless mask (Unless of course he was feeling the intense pleasure of crushing someone to death) it was at that time, only when his life had ended, that Gaara was devoid of the burden that tormented him and was finally his true self.

The Kazekage had been beautiful in death.

And now it was the same as it had been then. Neji watched the steady rise and fall of the Gaara's chest as he continued to sleep, his even breathing washing gently over Neji's face as Gaara continued to hold him. He wondered idly that if his love for Naruto had not ruined him already, would the boy who lay in front of him have had the job of doing it?

Slowly, as not to awaken the rarely sleeping Kazekage, Neji reached out his hand, searching for what he wasn't sure of, and only realizing it when the tips of his fingers brushed across the smooth skin of Gaara's pale cheek. It was as soft as it appeared to be, years of protection from the sand he controlled saw to that. As his fingers traced along one high cheekbone, Neji felt a smirk come to his lips.

It took a whole hell of a lot to get the Kazekage to fall asleep, but once he did, the kid slept like a rock.

The smile was fleeting though as his fingers moved to run softly along the darkened skin under and over Gaara's eyes. The dark rings being a physical proof of the burden of being Shukaku's vessel, even after the demon was gone, years of habitual insomnia was hard to break. The tips of his fingers graced over one slightly pointed nose- and Neji quite enjoyed the feeling of its smallness and found it admittedly to be kind of cute- until he came to those pink lips that he found to be quite intriguing and undeniably intimidating at the moment. He was just about to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat and continue on his exploration when teal eyes snapped open.

Neji gave a small jolt and went to pull his hand away but Gaara caught it quite easily, holding it firmly in his own.

"What were you doing, Neji?" Still that same voice, as if he hadn't just caught Neji pawing all over his face.

Neji continued to stare in shock for a moment, until finally regaining his senses. "I was checking for bugs." He threw out casually, hoping to lighten the mood. However, Gaara just continued to stare at him with that ever blank expression. "I was only joking, Gaara."

"I know." Gaara said, and then continued to remain silent, waiting expectantly for Neji to answer his question.

"I…I'm sorry, Gaara. I don't know why I did it. I've just never seen you asleep before. And it's only the second time I've seen you so…serene." Neji answered, feeling far more nervous then was befitting of a Hyuuga.

"When was the other time?"

"When you were dead." Ok, so perhaps he could have put it a little less blunt.

"I see." If Gaara was fazed by Neji's answer, he didn't show it. Instead he nonchalantly brought Neji's hand to rest back against his cheek. "It feels nice." He said blandly, as blunt as ever.

Neji's eyes widened in surprise for what felt like the hundredth time since they started this trip, but they quickly softened as he watched Gaara's own eyes flutter closed as he leaned slightly into the warm touch, reveling silently in the new experience. Neji slowly began to continue his gentle exploration of Gaara's skin, and he couldn't help but notice when Gaara let out a contented sigh. It was small but it was there.

"Why are you letting me do this? I would have figured you would have tried to kill me by now." Neji tried to keep his tone light, but he felt his anxiousness building as Gaara's eyes opened slowly once more. His hand stopped and just rested against Gaara's cheek, his fingers gliding almost unnoticeably over Gaara's temple as those sea green eyes unmercifully studied him. He held his ground under the scrutiny. He wanted to know.

"I was thinking that they must have been doing something like this…among other things. I want to know what it's like. Since I was six years old, I've never let someone touch me in a gentle matter. I've always wanted it to be him. But now…now that that wont happen, I at least want to experience it. And I at least want it to be someone who understands completely the reason why…does that answer your question, Neji?" Gaara finished, his fingers somehow now resting atop Neji's own. It never ceased to amaze Neji that anyone could say something so personal and deep in such a monotone voice. "Besides, I wouldn't kill you. You offer too much amusement."

He could have punched him for that one.

"Oh, well thank you, Gaara. How considerate of you." Neji said sarcastically, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. It was a very uncharacteristic move for him, but he found himself doing things differently quite a lot while around Gaara.

A small smile twitched at Gaara's lips before his face fell solemn once more. Neji suddenly felt an unwelcome twitch in his stomach. Something was off with Gaara's expression. It was as if the Kazekage actually wanted to say something but was holding back.

"What is it, Gaara?" Neji asked, internally scolding himself for letting his worry show through in his voice.

Gaara paused for a moment longer, seemingly searching for the right words. It was unnerving to see someone like Gaara so uncertain about something. "Neji…you seem to be the only one that I trust saying things of this nature to. And I also feel comfortable enough with you to allow you to touch me. So, seeing as how you seem to be the current best option, forgive me for asking you for a favor…" Gaara trailed off, seemingly waiting for Neji's consent to continue.

"What type of favor?" Neji was beginning to feel anxious once more. What could be so important that Sabaku no Gaara would actually be shy?

"I…want to experience something else, and I need you to help me do it."

"What?" Neji thought that his eyes might bulge out of his head when Gaara suddenly moved his face closer to Neji's own, his lips hovering close to Neji's. realization hit the Hyuuga hard. So Gaara wanted to experience his first kiss…with him? "Oh…"

"Do you mind?" Gaara asked in a low voice, his eyes boring holes into Neji.

"Well…no, I don't think so, but wouldn't you rather share this with someone you care about?" Neji gulped slightly at the prospect of kissing Gaara.

"Neji, the person I love spent last night most likely fucking the person I hate. You are the closest thing to a friend that I have after Naruto, and it can't be him. And if it can't be him then the only other person that I have no problem doing this with is you. So, may I?" Gaara said pointedly, explaining his logic as if it were the most rational thing in the world and then looking at Neji like he was surely an idiot for not seeing it.

"I…I…" Dammit, he was stuttering. Hyuuga Neji did not stutter! "Close your eyes, Gaara." he breathed out suddenly, winning the battle against his nerves. Gaara did as he was told and Neji watched as those teal irises disappeared behind pale eyelids. He gritted his teeth and ordered his nerves to calm. He could admit that he was in fact curious. His hand still rested against Gaara's cheek and he jumped slightly when a tentative hand came up to place itself on his own cheek. Gaara's hand was trembling noticeably against his skin, in fact, Gaara's entire body was shaking. It seemed Gaara was nervous, perhaps even scared. It was a sight that he was sure very few people, if any, had ever seen before. It was undeniable proof that Sabaku no Gaara was in fact human.

Finding himself in awe of Gaara's nervousness Neji began to close the distance between them.

In truth, this would be his first kiss as well. He had always been too withdrawn, had always thrown himself into his training, had always been in love with Naruto. The opportunity had probably presented itself many times but he had always ignored it. So while he may have been superior in many aspects to his comrades, they had always been ahead of him when it came to this. He felt like a child again.

His heart was thudding wildly in his chest as his own lips came closer the Gaara's. at the last second before their lips touched, his eyes fluttered closed, and…

He missed.

He actually _missed_.

His lips instead came in contact with the side of Gaara's mouth and at that point he could have sworn that it was indeed possible to die from embarrassment. However, all was quickly forgotten when Gaara took hold of his chin and redirected his lips against his own.

Then it was just slightly chapped lips against soft pouty ones. Their lips just rested against each other's for a second, unsure of how to proceed, but Neji took the first step and began to slowly move his lips against Gaara's, his fingers moving on their own accord from Gaara's cheek up to tangle in his shockingly red hair. Gaara, following Neji's lead, moved his arm to around Neji's waist, pulling the other boy closer to him, silently enjoying the feeling of the firm body pressed up against his own. It was admittedly clumsy and inexperienced, but there was something about it. Something that was comforting about the way they were both unsure of what to do, and yet neither pushed more than the other, neither demanded more than the other. In the back of his mind, Neji was glad that his first kiss had been shared with Gaara.

Yet, it was only when he ran his tongue along the seam of Gaara's lips and Gaara's body stiffened against his own that Neji came to his senses. A kiss could be simple, but deepening it like that meant something more. He knew that Gaara wasn't actually resisting him and was probably only shocked for a moment, in fact that was confirmed when Gaara's mouth opened slightly, accepting the offer of Neji's tongue, but instead Neji pulled away, his eyes wide as he stared at Gaara's face. Gaara's own eyes opened to look questioningly at him.

"I'm sorry, Gaara." Neji blurted out before he could stop himself.

"for what?" Gaara seemed generally confused by Neji's behavior.

"This was wrong…"

"But-"

"No, don't give something important like that to me. Just don't, alright? I'm not Naruto and neither are you. We shouldn't do this to each other…it's not right." Suddenly Neji unwrapped himself from Gaara's embrace and was quickly to his feet, heading for the entrance of the tent. "I'll start the fire." He said over his should before stepping out into the morning, leaving Gaara behind.

Once out in the open, and sure that Gaara most likely would not follow, he rested against a nearby tree, trying desperately to calm his racing heart. He was upset with himself for bursting like that, but he still couldn't stop the guilt that was churning in the pit of his stomach. Neji could never be a replacement for Naruto and Gaara could never be one either. They were just using each other. Fighting to keep the pain they felt in check. Fighting to find comfort in someone who could actually understood, and that was fine, but not at the expense of something like this. Not if they had to trample selfishly over rationality to achieve it.

No matter what, Neji loved Naruto.

No matter what, Gaara loved Naruto.

And in the end they were just using each other because they couldn't have him.

_It's not right_, Neji kept repeating over and over in his head, trying unsuccessfully to forget the feeling of Gaara's lips against his own.


	12. Childish Acts of Dominance

**A/N:** I know it's been a long time and I suck, but I just recently found out that I was accepted into AMDA so I have been really busy. My deepest apologies.

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**Childish Acts of Dominance**

He balanced precariously on the line between sleep and being awake and he let out a whine that he would vehemently deny later when he felt something poking against the skin of his cheek. He emitted another groan as he swatted at the offending object, his eyes still firmly closed, hoping that whatever the hell it was would leave him alone and let him get back to sleep, but alas, that didn't seem to be the case.

It was a shame really. He was rather comfortable. He was torn between snuggling further into the warmth that he was currently cocooned in, and getting as far away from the persistent object as possible. He settled on a compromise, opting to turn his head away, his lower lip protruding in annoyance, while his lower body shifted closer to the welcoming warmth. For a moment the incessant poking stopped and he made a mental note in his sleep-hazed mind to smirk in triumph later because, damn, he was good. However, as soon as the poking had gone, it was back again, harder and more persistent then ever.

Oh, son of a….

He growled, wondering briefly if it would be against etiquette to start biting blindly, when he heard a familiar snigger right beside his ear.

"Oh, big scary Uchiha. You know Teme, this is very unbecoming of a shinobi." A voice crooned teasingly into his ear.

His eyes snapped openly immediately.

He turned his head slowly back towards the direction of the voice, only to be met with the tip of a tan finger aimed at his face, wide blue eyes, and an ever present shit-eating grin.

"What the hell, idiot?" He said in a low voice, squinting as his eyes adjusted fully.

"Well, I figured it was about time for you to wake your lazy ass up." Naruto answered, keeping his tone innocent, despite his words. "I never expected that you could be so cute when you slept though. Heh, you even pout when you're unconscious." "

Naruto…" Sasuke began, his tone threatening, but Naruto paid him no mind, clearly unaffected by the glare he was receiving.

"And who would have guessed you were such a heavy sleeper, but I suppose you were more exhausted then usual. I did do quite the number on your sexy little ass last night."

"Dobe!" A dark blush colored Sasuke's pale cheeks, and Naruto had to skillfully dodge the kick that the angry Uchiha directed at him. Unfortunately, the only way for him to dodge in his current position was to roll on top of Sasuke and pin him down. With both of Naruto's arms on either side of Sasuke's head, propping his body up, Sasuke's blush only deepened and he let out an unconscious moan when he realized that he had a very naked Jinchuuriki on top of him.

Naruto grinned when he noticed Sasuke's reaction and teasingly rocked his hips against the other boy's, before leaning down and claiming his mouth in a kiss. Sasuke couldn't help but smile against Naruto's lips, all anger immediately forgotten, as he raised his hands to fist into Naruto's sunshine hair. He let out a soft sigh as he felt Naruto's tongue probe gently at his lips, followed by teeth nibbling along them as well. He opened his mouth in welcome, and could have almost let out a whine of disappointment as that sly tongue didn't enter his mouth, but instead licked playfully one last time at his bottom lip, before pulling away completely.

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly to see Naruto staring at him quietly, his head cocked slightly to the side as if in thought, before the fox broke out into a blindingly bright grin. "Good morning, sweetheart!" He said in a voice akin to a cheery housewife, before taking advantage of Sasuke's temporary shock, and sucker smacking the Uchiha on the ass. He then stood up gracefully, stretching languidly, unashamed of his nakedness, while Sasuke stared at his backside, his mouth hanging open and his eyes narrowed in a mix of shock and a glare, giving him the uncanny appearance of a pissed off fish.

"Don't tell me you're just gonna lay there all day. Get your ass up, you lazy bastard." Naruto spoke in a bright voice before bending over, much to Sasuke's reluctantly admitted delight, and picking up the Uchiha's shirt, which he launched unsuspectingly at the gaping prodigy.

Sasuke's came out of his stupor in enough time to catch the offending material before it hit him square in the face. Finally out of his trance, he quickly tackled the other boy against a nearby tree, causing Naruto to let out a very unmanly shriek.

"How dare you spank me, Dobe." Sasuke growled in a low voice against the shell of Naruto's ear, before nipping none-too-gently at the lobe that was presented before him. "Uchihas do not get spanked." He insisted, one hand pinning both of Naruto's wrists above his head, while the other latched on firmly to one tanned hip. He rocked his hips subtly into Naruto's, keeping the touches barely there, but enough so he could feel Naruto's cock stir awake against his own. Naruto let out a quiet gasp and Sasuke smiled against the skin of his exposed shoulder, before flicking his tongue against that spot, just enough to get a taste of the dobe.

There was something to be said about standing naked in a forest, where anybody, especially two assholes who didn't mind there own business, could happen by. It was rather exhilarating, despite how much his Uchiha pride was screaming at him to put some fucking clothes on.

"There are a lot of things that I would like to do to you, Sasuke, that the Uchihas would frown upon." Naruto purred, causing a shiver to run along Sasuke's spine at the implications in those words. Despite the compromising position that the blonde was currently in, Sasuke's didn't have to look at his face to know that Naruto was smirking. "Besides, all good bitches need a spanking sometimes."

Sasuke abandoned his grip on Naruto's wrists in favor of fisting some of that golden hair and forcing Naruto's head back against the rough bark of the tree. At this treatment Naruto let out something that could only be described as a mix between a slightly pained whine and a moan, and Sasuke had to hold back his own cry of pleasure when he felt Naruto harden further against him. "If I remember correctly, Uzumaki, you were the one who was spreading your legs for me last night." Sasuke shot back, his breath becoming harsh as Naruto began to rock lightly against him, he wasn't even sure if the other knew he was doing it.

"Well, Uchiha, how about later I throw you to the ground, spread your legs and show you just how much stamina I possess." Naruto's voice had become just as rasped as Sasuke's own and the Uchiha could swear those eyes had become a darker blue.

Sasuke leaned forward suddenly, catching Naruto's pouty bottom lip between his teeth. "Promise?" He all but groaned around the flesh in his mouth and he watched as Naruto's eyes drooped slightly in lust. He was a little surprised that he had so readily insinuated that Naruto could top, but he felt no real need to hide from Naruto any more and he could relinquish just a little bit of his pride. Besides the idea of Naruto being inside of him was more arousing then he would have cared to admit.

With one last longing suck on Naruto's lip, he reluctantly released the flesh. Naruto stared at him for a moment, as if studying him. "You aren't going to continue to always try to be top in everything?" Naruto questioned, as Sasuke took a step back.

"We're equals aren't we?" Sasuke admitted, staring Naruto directly in the eyes. This was important, this meant so much more than just sex.

At those words, Naruto's face broke into a huge grin and he flung himself at the Uchiha, who staggered back in order to not fall to the ground with an armful of dobe. "Get off me, idiot!" Sasuke growled halfheartedly, though his arms stayed around his lover's waist.

Despite the childish way the blonde was acting, or the sloppy kisses that he trailed all the way from Sasuke's mouth to his ear, his voice was serious when he spoke. "I love you, bastard. Your ass is mine now."

"Along with everything else." Sasuke agreed, before attempting to disentangle himself from the mass of blonde. "Now get the hell off of me. You're filthy." Apparently prissy Sasuke had returned, as he now grimaced at the feel of his skin and the dry come that still lingered. "I want to take a bath."

"Take one with me?" Naruto suggested, gesturing towards the lake not far from them. "Though we'll have to hurry and get back to camp. I'm sure Gaara and Neji are worried."

Sasuke merely "hn" and nodded before walking towards the water, knowing the blonde was following behind.

"Oh, and Dobe, just because I offered to be uke for you later, don't get used to it." Sasuke said huffily, though there was a leer in his eyes as he turned back to look at his lover.

Naruto could only grin.

"Of course, bastard."

* * *

By the time they had returned to the area where their camp was located they knew that something was definitely wrong. There was a heavy aura the seemed to hang oppressively over their heads as they caught sight of Gaara and Neji sitting by the morning campfire.

Now this wasn't anything unusual since the two had spent most of their time doing just that since the trip had started. However, what was strange was the fact that Gaara and Neji were sitting as far away from each other as the space would allow, and both pairs of eyes were focused anywhere but in the general direction of the other person.

Gaara seemed to be entirely too interested in some random tree to his left, and the staring match he had begun with said tree seemed more of a death match than anything else. It was almost as if Gaara was imposing silent death on the poor defenseless thing. And knowing Gaara's past flirtations with homicidal insanity, that might have just been the case.

Neji, on the other hand, seemed to be focusing on the ground, peering down at it through his hands, which were propping his head up as he allowed his fingers to play idly with his hair.

All in all, the situation seemed rather uncomfortable.

"Awkward…" Naruto made a gesture of whispering to Sasuke, and usually Sasuke would have ignored the entirety of the situation, because he really didn't give a rat's ass about the two conniving twatts, but this seemed more difficult than usual to push aside.

"No shit, who died?" Sasuke whispered back, feeling slightly uneasy at the fact that neither Gaara nor Neji had looked up at them once since they had gotten back.

"More like, who fucked who?"

"Naruto!" Sasuke scolded in embarrassment, resisting the urge to smack the blonde.

"Well, seriously, before it was as if those two had be connected at the hip with chakra binds, now it's like Gaara decided to piss in Neji's hair or something." Naruto said, in what Sasuke supposed was intended to be a defensive manner.

"Idiot…"

"What, it's true! You know how girly Neji gets about his hair…"

"You do know that we can hear you, right?" Both Naruto and Sasuke almost jumped at the entrance of a third voice. They slowly turned to find both Gaara and Neji staring at them with dual blank expressions on their faces. The empty stares made their skin crawl.

Naruto reached up to scratch nervously at the back of his head, emitting a slight laugh in the process. "Er, well…how 'bout we eat some breakfast! I'm starving!" Naruto shouted loudly in order to change the topic. "Hey, Gaara wanna go get some more wood? Just because you're the Kazekage and all, doesn't mean you can't help." Gaara just blinked at him for a moment, before standing up silently, and without a word making his way out of the clearing of the forest in search of wood.

By the time Gaara came back with the wood and Sasuke had insisted that, no, Naruto could not have ramen for breakfast, both Sasuke and Naruto had taken Gaara's spot on the log by the campfire. Whether it was purposeful or not, this act left the only remaining seat on the log that Neji was currently occupying.

"I'll sit on the ground." Neji offered hastily, already beginning to move.

"It's fine, Hyuuga." Gaara told him, halting his movements, and Neji wasn't the only one surprised to find that they were back to using last names.

"If you insist, Kazekage-sama." Neji said quietly, turning to stare at the fire.

"Che." Someone snorted and both Gaara and Neji turned in the direction of the sound, coming in contact with Sasuke.

"Is there a problem, Uchiha?" Gaara inquired, his voice turning noticeably colder.

"Yes, I would hate to think that we were bothering you." Neji added from beside Gaara, a sneer forming on his face. Naruto, for once, just silently watched the small interaction. It was nice to see that whatever might be going on between Neji and Gaara could be dropped immediately so they could fully direct their hate towards Uchiha Sasuke. They were a marvelous team when it came to that.

"Of course not." Sasuke replied innocently, though Naruto could see the dark intent in his lover's eyes. He almost grimaced as he prepared himself for the retort that was surely about to follow. "I just find it rather amusing to watch you two prance around each other like a pair of pre-pubescent girls."

Ah, there it was.

There was no reaction for a moment and both Neji and Gaara's expressions stayed vacant, but Naruto knew that danger was fast approaching and that this was just the calm before the storm. He wondered vaguely if he should maybe take cover, either that or strangle that bastard Uchiha.

Gaara seemed to contemplate the Uchiha for a moment, before finally his head cocked to the side and his bright red hair fell away from his pale face. When he spoke, his voice was smooth and lacking of any real curiosity that the question might have possessed. "So, Uchiha, how did the fucking go last night?"

Three mouths fell open at that one.

Sasuke's face turned a distinctive shade of red and Naruto would have been worried that the other boy was going to have a conniption if he wasn't busy gaping at the redhead sitting across from him.

And then, to everyone's surprise, Sasuke's expression calmed and a malicious grin formed on his pretty features. Naruto had the sudden urge to run for it, but before he could, Sasuke seized him around the waist and hauled him into his lap, earning a yelp from the startled blonde.

"I don't see why it is any of your business, but if you must know, last night was rather enjoyable." Sasuke told them, that smug look never leaving his face.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screeched in embarrassment. There was no way prissy, bitchy, kunai permanently shoved up his ass Uchiha Sasuke had just admitted to something like that.

"You can kill me for it later, dobe." Sasuke whispered quietly into Naruto's ear.

Neither Neji nor Gaara could keep their expressions emotionless any more and twin hard glares had set themselves on their features. Both of them knew what the Uchiha was doing. He knew that they felt something for the blonde, and now he was just dangling him in front of them as if just to show them what they couldn't have.

Little fuck.

Naruto watched the exchange between the two parties in annoyance. He knew that if they had a little less dignity, there would be tongues sticking out as well.

Bunch of fucking children.

And people thought he was the one that was immature.

Neji felt his blood boil as Uchiha Sasuke ran his hands suggestively down Naruto's sides, his eyes never leaving them as he smirked smugly at them.

How dare he…

Neji didn't even think, which was an almost nonexistent occurrence, before he pulled the closest thing next to him into his lap, holding it possessively against his chest.

Ha!

He looked triumphantly back at Sasuke until he noticed the look of shock mixed with something that might have been horror on both Naruto and Sasuke's face.

His blood ran instantly cold…oh no…oh no oh no oh no.

He slowly, almost reluctantly, let his lavender and all-seeing eyes travel to the thing that was snuggled securely in his lap. Sure enough he was met with a tuft of red hair and wide teal eyes.

There was dead silence.

Well, shit.

Gaara and Neji just stared at each other for a second, neither daring to move, and then the reaction was instant. Neji blushed a deep shade of crimson and all but pushed the stunned Kazekage off his lap. He stood up less then gracefully and mumbled a hurried "Gomenasai." before bolting into the forest.

Gaara stared after him for a moment, his expression thoughtful, before he stood up silently and far more gracefully than Neji had and made his way towards the tent.

Sasuke and Naruto looked in the direction that both the boys had taken off in before Sasuke finally spoke.

"I hope they realize that we have to be leaving soon, we're already running a day late." He said in a bored voice, as if he wasn't affected by what had just happened.

"What the hell, asshole? Why did you have to go and provoke them like that?" Naruto asked heatedly, clenching his fists at his sides as he scrambled of the Uchiha's lap.

"Hn." was Sasuke's noncommittal reply and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"But there is definitely something going on between those two. I know it."

"Hn."

There was silence for a long moment and Sasuke was rather content, and then…

"Ne, Sasuke?" Sasuke turned his head towards Naruto at the voicing of his name, and he felt a pang of dread as he noticed the grin on Naruto's face.

"What is it, dobe?" He asked cautiously, not looking forward to the answer.

"I have a plan."


	13. Uncomfortable Silence

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply**

**A/N:**Look guys, I'm really sorry for how long this took me, but I had a lot of personal problems going on in my life and I can only hope for understanding. However, now that my college finals are over and personal drama seems to be slightly down, I will update more frequently. I will never fully abandon this story, so don't worry about that. Sorry for the lack of personal response but I'm pretty wiped out. Anyways, hope you enjoy.

TillThatTime

* * *

**Uncomfortable Silence**

One elegantly arched eyebrow twitched in barely retained irritation, this one marking the sixth time in a series over the past five minutes.

"No."

"Yeah, but Sasuke-"

"No."

"Aw, come on, I just-"

"I said no."

"If you would just listen for one second, baby-"

"What did you just call me?"

Pause.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant stubborn jackass-prick."

Seventh eyebrow twitch.

"I could kill you." Obsidian eyes rolled back in frustration as a blonde mop of hair fell unceremoniously into his lap.

"Naw, you wouldn't! You love me too much."

"I'm not a matchmaker." Sasuke growled out, choosing to ignore the previous comment, knowing it would be a losing battle to challenge the validity of it.

Azure eyes lit up in blatant mischief as Naruto practically leered at Sasuke. "Yeah, but you would look awfully sexy with wings and cute, little red panties."

He was clocked upside the head for that one.

"I just want to help." The blonde pouted as he rubbed his scalp where a lump was already beginning to form.

"It's none of your business, dumbass." The dark-haired man huffed, as he pulled the blonde's head grudgingly back into his lap and began to run his fingers soothingly over the bump.

Naruto sighed in contentment as rubbed his head unconsciously into Sasuke's lap and against those fingers. "But I know there is something between those two. I think it's love…"

There was a snort at that comment. "You think the obsession you have over ramen is love too."

"There's not a purer form!" Naruto hissed, his mood changing drastically as he looked ready to attack if his beloved was insulted further.

His was turned suddenly and his back was pulled against a warm hard chest and he shivered as he felt hot breath fan over the shell of his ear. "Don't you dare make me jealous over food."

Pale lips met full pink ones in a demanding kiss, and sharp teeth sunk into Naruto's bottom lip, tugging at it harshly and wrenching a broken moan from both of them as Sasuke's mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood as he ran his tongue tenderly over the small hurt in an unspoken and not very remorseful apology.

As their lips parted, Naruto's eyes opened slowly to stare at Sasuke in a daze, a lone trail of saliva sliding along his chin. There was only a slight pause before a grin split across his face. "You'll always be second."

He now had two lumps.

"Baka."

Naruto whined for a second, clutching his head in pain while he simultaneously moved himself away from the fuming, and obviously rather possessive, Uchiha. Once he figured he was a safe enough distance and the sharp pain in his head had died down to a dull throb, he straightened back up to stare almost seriously at the other boy. "Now, back to  
the matter at hand."

"I want no part in this." Sasuke stated unwaveringly, leaving no room for argument in his tone. He couldn't believe he was even having this ridiculous conversation. It didn't matter at all to him if those two idiots were freaking out over each other. Gaara and Neji could shit kittens and throw them at each other for all he cared.

He shuddered at the mental image that train of thought provided.

"I think they just need a push in the right direction. You've seen the way they look at each other. It's sooo obvious!" Tan hands waved dramatically in the air as Naruto tried to prove his point, obviously impressed with his own "awesome" skills of perception.

"Have you seen the way they look at you?" Sasuke mumbled, his eyes connecting with blue ones, which quickly became confused by the comment.

Naruto's head cocked to the side as he stared a Sasuke in blatant delusion. "Huh?"

"Hn…forget it." He rolled his eyes. "Clueless idiot."

"Hey! What did you call me!?"

"Nothing, _baby_." Sasuke mocked, a smirk coming across his lips.

Seemingly missing the sarcasm in Sasuke's voice, or just choosing to ignore it, Naruto grinned brightly back at him while Sasuke shook his head. "I think we just need to get them to spend more time together."

There was a growl of frustration as Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair in annoyance.

"Are you really going to keep going on about that?"

"Are you really going to keep being a bastard and not help me?" Naruto shot back, his  
eyes defiant as he crossed his arms over his chest with a huff.

"Stubborn jackass."

"Pot. Kettle. Black. You hypocritical bastard."

"Oh, big word for an idiot."

"What!? I'll kick your ass, teme!"

With a screech, Naruto was on his feet raising a fist in the Uchiha's direction, waving it around in what he supposed was a threatening manner.

"This conversation is over. Now sit down, Usuratonkachi." Naruto just glared back at him defiantly, fist still raised, and Sasuke could almost see the idea flit across those blue eyes. Suddenly Naruto's hard expression softened and Sasuke watched in horror as that full bottom lip protruded and Naruto's eyes grew large and heavy with crocodile tears.

The idiot was actually pouting.

Like…seriously?

Smirking inwardly, Naruto eyed the other boy, waiting for his reaction to his brilliant plan. There was no way that Sasuke was going to be able to resist him now. It was so simple, and he had him right where he wanted him.

Hook, line, and sink-

"Your face might get stuck like that." Sasuke deadpanned.

"Why, you-!" And suddenly Sasuke found himself being tackled to the ground by a mass of blonde and orange. There was flurry of vibrant curse words and phrases such as, "Get off me, jackass!" and "I'll kill you! I'll kill you! Fuck loving you, I'll rip you to shreds!"

By the time the struggle finished, Sasuke had effectively pinned Naruto to the ground, the blonde's wrists held high above his head with Sasuke's hands as he growled up at the other boy and continued to struggle.

"Calm down, Naruto." Those words were spoken softly, all hints of malice and play gone from Sasuke's voice completely, and Naruto found himself stilling almost instantly under those words and the weight of Sasuke's body atop his own. He watched in an almost awed fashion as Sasuke switched his pinned wrist to one hand as he let the other travel down through a tuft of dirt covered hair until his fingers tips were tracing each one of the scares that adorned his lover's face, his hand stilling as it came to cup one flushed, tan cheek. "Why do you want to help them so much?" Sasuke whispered, looking intently down at the dazed shinobi.

"They're my friends, and they deserve happiness just as much as I do, and I think they can give that to each other." Was the answer, almost as hushed as Sasuke's own voice, as they shared a private conversation that would only reach their ears.

"What if they don't want it?"

"They do, I know it. Together, they…make sense. Honestly, I don't know what's holding them back." Sasuke had to roll his eyes at that last sentence, for he already had a pretty good idea why.

He heaved a sigh of reluctant resolution, and hesitated before speaking. "I'm not going to help you do whatever you're planning to do, but I wont stop you either."

Naruto's face broke into a wide grin almost instantly and Sasuke marveled at how he felt his own lips curve slightly upwards at the sight of it.

"So, what are you planning exactly?" Sasuke asked, almost afraid to hear.

"Well, I think they need more time together, but we are only a day away from Suna, so we need to stall. I'm not sure exactly how we-" There was a huff. "I mean, _I_ am going to do that, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Oh, like maybe I could stop to go to the bathroom more…or say I need to take a break. I mean, that's stretching it, because I'm pretty much made of awesome and I don't need a break, but-"

Sasuke began to tune out the rest of what his lover was saying as the familiarity of the situation began to wash over him.

Tch, the blonde really was a clueless idiot sometimes.

He focused instead on how delightfully tasty Naruto's lips looked as they moved as he spoke.

"- so, what do you think, Sasuke?"

"Whatever." And with that Sasuke leaned down and sealed his lips over the rambling younger boy's own, not really wanting to listen to anymore of his "glorious plan" and feeling that there was much more useful things that Naruto could be doing with that mouth of his right about now.

Almost immediately Naruto seemed to forget the things he was saying as he sunk into those lips and the ground beneath him. He let out a slight mewl of pleasure as Sasuke released his wrists and wasted no time in letting his pale hands travel over and under Naruto's orange jacket and shirt to allow his fingers to slide across the heated and sensitive skin near Naruto's navel.

A pink tongue flicked out between those parted lips to trail against sharp canines, and Sasuke hissed as those teeth sunk into his wandering muscle at the same time Naruto thrust his hips up against Sasuke's own, emphasizing the action with a feral growl. There was another hiss as Sasuke felt fingers entwine almost brutally into his black hair as his head was yanked back, and their lips parted with a slick sound, only to feel that wet and talented muscle leaving a hot trail along the column of his throat moments later.

"Are you going to hold good to your promise?" The words were breathed against the over-sensitized hollow of his throat and Sasuke's eyes fluttered closed at the sensation. Naruto's voice held an odd combination of dominance and uncertainty and Sasuke let his own hands raise and bury into blonde locks, massaging tenderly at his lover's scalp, his gentle actions in complete contrast to Naruto's own.

"Just say when." He felt Naruto's soft and unmistakably relieved laughter against his throat, the action leaving behind puffs of warm, damp air that felt pleasant on his skin.

Sasuke allowed a rare smile to grace his lips as he settled one hand on the ground, ready to push himself upwards so he could get a better look at his lover, only to freeze when a kunai was suddenly embedded into the ground only a mere centimeter away from his hand. He looked up sharply, ready to attack any enemy, when he noticed the Hyuuga standing a few meters away from him.

"Oops, my hand slipped." Neji said, his face holding a contradictory combination of innocence and a smirk.

"Beat it, asshole." Was the barked reply that Neji received.

"My Uchiha, you must be losing your touch if you didn't even notice I was here."

"You do have a certain knack for spying on people though, don't you Hyuuga?"

"Well, if you don't recall, you're in _the middle of our camp_."

There was silence.

There was really nothing he could say to that.

"Anyways, I just wanted to say that we should get going." Neji reminded, turning gracefully on one heel and heading off in the opposite direction.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other in silence for a moment, feeling slightly embarrassed at the fact that they just now realized where exactly they were.

"So…can we still do it?"

Eighth eye twitch.

Third lump.

"Ow, bastard!"

* * *

Not a word was spoken as they walked.

Except for the occasional grunt and sniffle from their blonde comrade, who apparently had a cold and therefore was not able to take the quicker route through the trees and instead forced them to walk on the ground, despite the fact that none of the other three members of the party could remember a time the boisterous shinobi had ever been sick, silence hung heavy among them.

Even for someone like Neji, who craved the peace that silence brought, it was uncomfortable to say the last. Yet, he was not going to be the one to break the silence, but rather hope internally that Naruto would become uncomfortable enough to do it for him. He felt too suffocated by his own idiotic display early to even dare open his mouth in attempt to start a conversation in this train wreck of a situation.

Lilac eyes cut to his left as his vision rested on blood colored hair, and even as his eyes focused on the odd beauty of such a shade he mused silently to himself that the color was perfect for the person Gaara used to be. He continued to stare through the corner of his eye- relying on his peripheral vision with out his byakugan activated- as he watched the unruly mop sway back and forth with the breeze from the wind and the uneven rise and fall of the Kazekage's steps. He felt his over-perceptive eyes focus in on the way random strands stuck to the light sheen of sweat on Gaara's forehead, his pale skin in stark contrast to the vibrant color. His mouth became suddenly dry as Gaara's pink tongue unconsciously peeked out to run along his lips, whether in order to wet them or just in thought, Neji was not sure.

The length of time he spent staring at the young leader was unknown to Neji, but he figured if no one was going to object to him doing it, or even notice, then he couldn't be bothered with such things as whether or not it was creepy to stare for a long period of time. His eyes stayed glued to that pale skin and he remembered distinctly how it felt under his fingertips when Gaara had allowed him to run his hands along his cheeks. It was softer than he could have imagined, and it had given Gaara an air of innocence, because it was skin the felt untouched to Neji, even if he was unfamiliar with such gestures himself.

He also could distinctly recall the feel of Gaara as he was cuddled in his…lap.

Gah!

Gods, he was supposed to be a genius! What the hell had he been thinking at the time? Well, obviously he hadn't been.

He had seen the object of his animosity holding onto the object of his unrequited and probably very unwelcome love, so in his rage, he had pulled the object of his very uncomfortable confusion onto his lap.

_Brilliant, Neji…you jackass_.

He noticed that Naruto had turned to stare at him when he smacked his face right into his palm.

"Mosquito." Was the first thing that came to mind and Naruto just grinned at him and continued to _sniffle_.

That's when he noticed that a pair of green eyes were focused on him as well. It made his heart speed up in a mixture of feelings that he didn't even want to attempt to decipher. Looking into those eyes that stared back into his own so guarded, it brought back even more memories of seeing those eyes exposed to him, seeing them filled with vulnerability that if he hadn't have seen himself, he wouldn't believe the Kazekage was capable of. And in that moment he could still feel Gaara in his arms, could still feel the slightly erratic heartbeat and the sensation of Gaara's back pressed against his chest, and he wondered slightly how he could have felt all those things through the embarrassment that the situation had brought, but he had, and his cheeks filled with heat as he broke the gaze that he held with the other boy, his fingers tingling with stubborn memories that seemed burned into his mind.

He had been so stupid to pull him into his lap like that.

So, so stupid.

He was lucky that Gaara didn't just kill for the hell of it anymore.

"Let's take a break!" An overly cheery voice sounded from beside him followed by a highly exaggerated coughing fit.

"We really shouldn't take anymore breaks if we want to get into Suna territory before nightfall." Neji informed calmly, though he already had a pretty good idea of what the blonde was up to.

"But I feel dizzy, I think I might be coming down with the…uh, flu. Yeah! The flu!" Naruto whined, clutching at his stomach in an in vain attempt to look like he was in pain.

Neji mentally rolled his eyes. He loved the idiot, sure, but now was really not the time to be playing games.

His conscious tip-toed over the fact that it was the same game he and Gaara had played.

However, that was a different situation. What Naruto was trying to do was pointless, that is, if Neji had guessed his intention correctly, which he was sure he had. Neji and Gaara were a doomed pair. Nothing could come out of the denial that a relationship involving the two entailed.

This was ridiculous and shouldn't be encouraged. The sooner they got to Suna and dropped Gaara off, the better.

"Look, Naruto-"

"I didn't get to eat breakfast. I'm hungry." A colder voice spoke, and Neji felt his eyes go wide as he turned to stare at the stoic Uchiha.

Sasuke's arms were folded across his chest and he had a distinct look of distaste and reluctance for the sentences he'd just uttered, but there was also a sense of finality in his stance and tone.

Neji just gave him an incredulously look that all but said, "the fuck?" and Sasuke just glared back at him in response, black eyes challenging. To say this was unexpected was a bit of an understatement, because Neji would not have guessed that the Uchiha would actually go along with Naruto's little "intervention". Well, if this little scenario wasn't a declaration for "Stand by your man." Neji didn't know what was. He briefly wondered if people would notice if he walked over to the nearest tree and put himself into a coma and an early retirement.

He looked over to Gaara, wondering what he thought of this entire situation, and almost felt like strangling himself when he noticed the Kazekage sitting calmly against a tree already looking like he was more than ready to settle down. He gave Gaara a look of disbelief and somewhat childish betrayal, and his only response was a blank stare with a subtly hint of amusement.

Too bad killing wasn't considered an acceptable pastime.

"I'll go get the wood." Neji hissed out, before turning and heading into another area of the forest.

He wasn't searching for long before he felt a presence slowly creeping up behind him. He didn't feel threatened, because there was a same sense of familiarity with the chakra that Neji had felt before on the cold night that seemed to be the beginning of this entire charade.

"Is there something you need, Kazekage-sama?" Neji asked, not turning to face his comrade.

There was a rustle of leaves as Gaara stepped out into the clearing and slowly Neji turned to face him, feeling his heart speed up and hating himself for it. Gaara merely stared at him for a moment, studying him with those detached teal eyes. His voice was soft when he spoke, and lacking the accusation that the question would have possessed at any other time.

"You were staring at me."

Neji felt his cheeks heat and he marveled at the way that the Kazekage seemed to be the only who could make him stutter. "I-I-"

"I saw you."

"Kazekage-"

"Why? If you don't want me, why would you stare like that?" And suddenly Neji felt like he was in the presence of a child, and small _kid _who didn't understand the impact his questions could cause. Gaara looked at him in confusion, genuine confusion of not knowing why Neji acted the way he did, and looking for Neji to just _teach him_.

But, Neji was just a child himself with it came to this, and they were both left grasping in the dark with questions that the other didn't have the answer to.

"I don't know." Neji cringed at his lack of eloquence, and looked down at his feet.

"You also pulled me into your lap." It wasn't a question and it wasn't an accusation either.

"That was-"

"I think I might have liked it." Neji's eyes shot up in blatant surprise as he almost choked on his sharp intake of breath.

"What?" He asked, the word only coming out as a whisper.

And then Gaara was walking towards him, and Neji only wished he could search those eyes for an answer to what in the hell Gaara thought he was doing. Then he couldn't even ask himself as smooth hands cupped his face and his lips were pulled into a clumsy kiss that was just a simple press of lips but made his knees buckle nevertheless. Their lips disconnected after a moment, but still Gaara let his forehead rest against his own, and deceptively gentle hands moved to grip firmly at his hips, warning him not to move.

"I don't get it. I don't understand what this is." Gaara's words were so low that if Neji hadn't of been so close he would not have heard them. "but…I want you to touch me the way that he never will. It's substitution, I know full well, but it has to be you. I want to know, and I don't like not understanding. I don't want it to be something that I'll never have, something that has always been falsely promised to me and then taken away. I'll never be him to you, and you'll never be him to me, but…if it's not him, then it has to be you. I want you to be my lie, because you're the only one who understands why." Neji stood gaping at those words of unshielded honesty as Gaara's head bent and nuzzled into his neck with far more affection then he thought the detached boy could possess, and Neji stood stark still, his eyes rolling back into his head as he felt Gaara's soft lips against his racing pulse, and then their were words, words he barely understood. "Don't fuck with me." and teeth were sinking harshly into his neck as fingers simultaneously rubbed soothingly at his sides, and he was gasping, gasping for air that never seemed to fill his lungs completely, and all he knew of was that wet tongue hesitantly but honestly trying to soothe away the small hurt that had been caused only seconds ago.

Then without so much as a lingering touch, Gaara stepped away from him, his vacant mask back in place. "Think about what I said…Neji." and after that he turned and left Neji standing there, his legs trembling as he tried to figure out what had just happened, but one realization seemed to make itself known through his hazed mind, and it pressed uncomfortably against his shorts.

He was hard.


End file.
